Beginning
by xX12Anonymous97Xx
Summary: My story of how our favorite wolf-dog and hero, Balto, began.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

The cloudy sky hid the bright light of the sun from shining down upon the earth. Three figures stalked silently through the snow covered forest, their breaths coming out in steamy clouds in front of their faces. These three Native American men were on the hunt, checking their traps as well as keeping watch for any other potential prey.

All three had animal fur and skins wrapped around them. Even though it was day, the temperature was still well below freezing. Each of the men had a rifle, something they'd traded the white men for. They also had water, rope, and a lamp in case they were stuck out after dark. The lead man, designated by the two black marks he had under his eyes, pointed at the hill in front of him.

All three stopped to listen. Beyond the hill, the men could hear the pained cries of a wolf, which meant that their traps had indeed caught something. Wolf skins were highly valuable to the white men, and could bring a lot of much needed food to the native men's village. The leader crept over the hill as silently as possible, staring down into the small valley which led to a nearly frozen stream. Down there, a white wolf was stuck in the trap, its left foreleg caught in the device and its blood staining the snow around it.

The she-wolfs ears perked up, and her head whipped around, yellow eyes staring at the three men. She didn't show any fear, simply watching them as they moved closer. The three men fanned out into a line, because despite how laid back the wolf was acting, they knew that could change in seconds. One man approached the wolf with his rifle in front of him. She still didn't make any movements.

Then suddenly, she snapped. The man lashed out, the wooden stock of his rifle connecting with the side of the wolfs head, knocking her out cold. The other two men rushed forward, freeing her leg of the trap and then tying her legs tight. They also made sure to muzzle her, in case she woke on the way back to the village.

When this was accomplished, the three men held their prize in the air triumphantly. A white wolf would surely bring them a lot of compliments and prizes.

...

So there have been many stories about where Balto came from. This story is my attempt at explaining this as well. I was originally going to wait, but since I'm not sure how to finish my other story, I might leave that one as is for now and work on this.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The side of her head hurt. She could smell the smoke from the fires scattered around the camp, as well as meat cooking over them. Aniu tentatively opened one yellow eye, then another. Her vision was blurred, partially because she'd had her eyes closed so long, but more likely because of the structure just in front of her nose. She raised her head slightly and glanced around. Surely enough, more of the thin bars surrounded her, encasing her in a small prison of sorts.

It was possible to see through the bars though. It looked like her cage was in a clearing, between several of the man-animal shelters. Quite a few of them were milling about, wearing what looked like bear fur? Although she'd never seen one until now, she'd heard a lot about them from fellow wolves. Mysterious looking creatures they were indeed.

Aniu shook her head, hoping to clear her vision, but all it did was make her dizzy and her head feel even worse. She tried to push herself up into a sitting position, which would have been rather difficult for anyone, injured leg or not. As it were, she ended up crying out as a bolt of pain shot through her probably broken left foreleg. She also managed to attract one of the small man-animals, as it approached her slowly. Its mother noticed immediately and hurriedly pushed the small child away.

Deciding to stay lying down, Aniu shifted herself so she could have a look at her injury. The man-animals had done something to it; that much could be told from the cloth that was wrapped tightly around it. She considered trying to bite said cloth off, but decided not to for fear of messing something up.

What puzzled the white she-wolf the most though, was why she had not yet been killed. She knew that man-animals had fearsome weapons that were called bang-sticks. These were capable of felling any wolf with only a thunderous bang, hence their name. The stories she'd heard from pack mates said that humans would capture or kill wolves for their fur, skinning them and then either keeping said fur as a prize, or trading it for something else of value. Aniu shuddered in fear at the thought of her fur being worn by one of the creatures around her.

She also wondered about her pack mates. What were they thinking? Were they worried about her? It was most likely they were. Aniu's father, Makota, was the alpha of a good sized pack of wolves, and he was very protective of her. The reason for this was because his mate, her mother, had died just after she had turned two months old. He was a good father, but was prone to making her decisions for her, simply because he wanted to keep her safe and ensure her happiness. While Aniu didn't like this as she got older, she never protested.

That had changed three nights ago. Since Makota so desperately wanted to protect his daughter, he had also taken the liberty of choosing a male he thought would be a good suitor for Aniu. Since he was getting old, and Aniu had been the only pup of her father's, he had to appoint a replacement. So he'd chosen a wolf named Night. He was an extremely attractive wolf, having a coat of complete black, an exact opposite of hers. Night also had green eyes that twinkled like stars, but most of all, he was a nice and respectful wolf. Aniu had also known him quite a long time, having been friends with him since she was three months old. If anything, she loved him more as a brother than as a mate. Not wanting to upset her father though, she had told Makota that she would think about it for a few days.

Since then three days had passed, but yesterday she had been caught in the trap, thus ending up here.

Suddenly a loud noise arose from somewhere in the camp, sounding like a young pups howl magnified a number of times. It hurt Aniu's ears, but thankfully it only lasted a few seconds.

After that, every man-animal in the camp it seemed, young and the old, females and males, surrounded her. Although they stayed a number of feet away, Aniu still felt horribly claustrophobic and quite afraid, but she did not let any of that show. Instead she gathered herself up, staring down any who dared get too close.

A big man, one of the same who had captured her, broke through the ring surrounding her. He pointed a stick at her.

"A wolf skin has always been valuable to the white man." He said, "They often trade foolishly for fur. Especially the fur of a white wolf. These are very rare, so we must keep this wolf in perfect condition. She is to be fed twice a day, and no one is to harm her. We have two white men coming to trade in seven days, and I know that one of them desires a wolf. We shall give him this one."

The crowd around Aniu cheered, and she felt her heart race even faster. Although she couldn't understand what they were saying, it probably wasn't good for her.

"If he likes this wolf, he has promised to give us plenty of supplies to last us the winter."

Again the crowd cheered. They were short on bullets for their guns, as well as fuel for the lanterns. But most of all, the natives desired alcohol. It was something the white men had in abundance, and would often trade it for fur. It was of similar value to the natives as the fur was to the white men.

After a few minutes, the crowd began to disperse, as night was almost upon them. Aniu was given some meat. She didn't want to take it at first, but she figured that if she was to die soon, she may as well die comfortably.

After finishing her meat, she got as comfortable as possible in the small confined space of her cage, watching the man-animals as they prepared for the night. They stoked up their fires, as the now clear sky promised a cold night. Aniu was fairly close to one of the fires, and she felt the heat radiating pleasantly onto her fur, and it wasn't long before she was lulled to sleep, her head resting peacefully on her paws.

...

I, to be honest think that this chapter is the best piece of work I've ever created. Hopefully it'll continue this way. That said, I could use a little help. I'm absolutely horrible at naming characters, seriously, it probably took me almost an hour to come up with just Makota and Night. So I could use maybe ten names, at least five husky and five wolf. Appreciate any suggestions. I do have a name in mind for our other main character, who y'all will probably meet next time.

May God bless and keep y'all safe.

-ANonymous


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

(Thanks to those who left names, but I took these names from my uncle, as he used to race sled dogs. I'm keepin' those names for later though.)

The warmth of the fire radiated off his fur and its light shown in his sleepy eyes. It was on rare nights like these that he was allowed inside his master's small cabin, and Storm was grateful for the fact that he was his master's favorite dog. The temperature outside was below freezing, and Storm couldn't suppress a small smile at the thought of his teammates freezing their tails off outside.

Storm was a decent sized husky, just a little bigger than the average. He had dark grey fur on most of his body, so dark that when not well illuminated it looked almost black. On his underside he had lighter shade of grey, with strips of white fur running down the inside of each of his four legs. He had blue eyes as deep as the ocean and just as intriguing. And at three and a half years old was next in line to be the leader of his team.

Indy was the oldest member, at nearly seven years of age he was the most experienced dog, having been on a number of teams until finally being adopted by Jarrod Anderson, their master. Then there was Phoenix. He was a mysterious dog, and one you didn't want to mess with. He cared about all of his friends, and would die to protect them. He had a scar beneath his left eye, a remnant from his days as a hunting dog. He was pretty hard to annoy, but there was one thing that set him off, and that was a wolf. He hated them. Everyone knew that his scar had been given to him by a wolf, but no one knew why he hated wolves so, and nobody dared ask.

Malakai was a very outgoing dog, very talkative. He was often the one that annoyed Phoenix, and Indy often had to break up quarrels between the two. He was a strong dog though, a very important member on the team.

The last two dogs, Blaze and Sky, were brother and sister. They didn't talk a lot, usually only speaking to each other, but occasionally they would join in. Storm was pretty sure that Sky had a crush on him, but he didn't know for sure, nor did he care.

Since he was a young pup, Storm had always been craving an adventure, and had quite often gone running out on his own, earning him more than a few harsh talks from his parents. So after he'd finally learned, he had focused all of his energy on getting stronger, in hopes that a sled team would take him up. That was his dream, to become a star racing dog, and hopefully this job would get him there.

Currently he was working for a master that traded with other men that lived in strange huts and wore animal fur. They were a bit imposing, but it seemed that his master desired the animal furs as well, and would often trade quite a bit of goods in return for them. Last time they had gone, Storm knew that his master had requested a live wolf. What for, he didn't know.

Tomorrow they would be leaving for the village. The trip took anywhere from four to seven days, as it depended on the weather conditions. It was a tough trip though, as they had to cross many rivers and climb a lot of mountains. He was sure that most of the rivers were frozen by now, he hoped so anyway.

Storm yawned and blinked tiredly, and figured that it was time for him to get to sleep. He curled himself up as near to the fire as he could take, and drifted into a deep, dreamless sleep.

…

The next thing he felt was a tapping on his head. Storm sat up and blinked a few times, waking himself up. He glanced out a window, and saw that the sun was just barely rising. Jarrod Anderson was busy getting things together for his trip today, and had just woken his dog up.

"Gonna be a long trip today." He said from somewhere inside the cabin. Storm heard some shuffling around in one of the rooms, and a minute later Jarrod, a tall fairly tall man with short, cropped brown hair stepped out. He was wearing a green suit specially designed to keep him warm. He had thick gloves and a hat to pull down over his head.

He opened the door to the outside, and Storm could feel the cold even beside the fire. Jarrod led him outside. The two lived on the north side of a town called White Mountain. It had been named such since it was surrounded by mountains, which were usually white with snow. Not a very creative name, Storm thought.

They went around to a large and fairly well insulated shed that stood behind their cabin. That was where the others stayed. Jarrod pushed open the large door, and every one of his dogs were there to greet him. They knew it was almost time to run. It was also food time. Jarrod walked to the back of the shed, opening a heavy chest and giving each dog their share of food.

While they ate and digested their food, Jarrod pulled his sled outside and got to work loading everything he hoped to trade onto it, as well as the necessary supplies for the trip on it.

"You ready to run?" Malakai asked Phoenix, eliciting a growl, albeit a good natured one. He paid no heed.

Addressing the whole group then, he asked another question. "Does anyone think that Master actually is gonna trade them for a live wolf?"

"I hope not." Phoenix replied, "Because I might be tempted to kill it."

"Why? I mean I've heard stories and stuff-"

"Wolves are vile creatures. They'll kill you without a second thought."

"I disagree." Storm said, putting his two cents worth in. "I think they're creatures who are just trying to survive, and only kill us because we're threatening them. Because aren't dogs usually the ones that hunt them?"

Phoenix turned on Storm, his blazing green eyes boring holes into Storm. "They killed my brother simply because we were lost." Phoenix remembered that day. He and his brother had been young then, and they had thought it would be fun to run away from their home for a day. A snow storm had blown up quickly, and the two had gotten lost. They had found a shelter that, unbeknownst to them, belonged to a small group of wolves. Upon finding two scared husky pups in their den, the wolves had killed his brother as a punishment, and had let Phoenix go on his own. Since then, he had killed or helped to kill any wolf, male, female, or pup that had crossed his path when he was a hunting dog. Phoenix explained this all to them, finally giving up his secret as to why he hated the wolf so much.

"Dogs do the same to them." Storm retorted.

"Because they're evil! What are you now, a lobo lover?"

"No. I'm simply standing up for what I believe."

"Guys, we don't need to fight." Indy said, having let the argument go on long enough.

Phoenix glared at Storm for a few more seconds, the fire in his eyes dying.

"He's right," Phoenix conceded, "Friends?"

Storm nodded.

"And sorry, I know you're not a lobo lover. If you had my experience with wolves… you'd understand."

Although Storm was tempted to reply to that, he didn't. The last thing they needed during this trip was a fight.

Soon enough, Jarrod called them all over to the sled, which was now fully loaded with everything he needed. He hooked them up, Indy and Phoenix in front, Storm and Malakai in the middle, Blaze and Sky in the back. After that he checked his equipment one more time, all six dogs bouncing on their paws and ready to go.

It was a relief when the command to go was given, and the dogs took off at a fast pace. It didn't take too long to settle into a rhythm though. No one really spoke, the only talking was commands from Jarrod or Indy, ordering the dogs back into line or back to the pace, or warning them of any upcoming obstacles.

Jarrod would occasionally check a pocket watch he had on him. They were making good time. The trip was uneventful, and by the fourth day, they were within five miles of the village. They came to a wide river. All of the rivers previous rivers were like streams compared to this one, which was why Jarrod stopped the dogs before they went to cross it. It looked like it was frozen, but everyone knew that it could be less than an inch thick.

Jarrod hopped off of the sled with a Winchester rifle in his grasp. He attached a long bayonet to the end of it, and led the dogs up to the bank of the river. He stabbed the weapon directly downward, and when it didn't penetrate the ice, he knew it was safe.

He led the dogs across, checking the ice every two feet to make sure it stayed thick enough to stay safe. Indy led the dogs expertly. They followed his lead on easing the sled down onto the ice, so as not to break or damage the sled or any of its cargo. Only when they were safely across did everyone let out the breaths that they'd been unconsciously holding in.

"Good job boy." Jarrod complimented, giving his lead dog a pat and a small treat of food. "Now let's go."

The final miles took less than thirty minutes, as everyone was running, excited to get to their destination. The natives greeted Jarrod warmly, which was quite the opposite of how any native dogs greeted them. Storm and his teammates were pretty much ignored. A couple said hi, not much else.

The natives helped Jarrod unload all of the supplies he had brought, which included plenty of their favorite drink. In return he got plenty of fur.

"We have something else for you too. But first let us accommodate you." A native led Jarrod to a large tent, where he left his sled and unchained his dogs. Most of them fell down to the ground, but not Storm. He wanted to see if that something else was the wolf he and his team had been thinking about during the whole trip.

Blaze and his sister curled themselves up, as well as Indy.

"My old joints can't do too much more of this." He commented, stretching his legs out and rolling his shoulders a few times.

Storm and Malakai winced at the several loud pops that accompanied Indy's stretching. Phoenix simply sat down. He wasn't sure if he wanted to know if they were going to get a wolf. He wondered how they would carry it, as you couldn't exactly put a wolf on a sled team.

"How would we carry a wolf?" Malakai asked, and for once, Phoenix was glad that he did.

"I don't know…" Storm said his brow furrowing as he thought. "I suppose Jarrod would have a way to carry it."

"Speaking of Jarrod…" Both noticed the man following another native off through the camp, and hurried after him. Phoenix, after some hesitation, followed too.

"Do you still desire a wolf?" The native asked.

"Actually, yes I do. I've had a lot of people come to me asking if I could catch them a live wolf." Jarrod answered.

"Good, as we have one here for you. She's is in excellent health, except for a fractured leg. She is healing well, though. I do not know what your customers want a wolf for, but we thought it would be best to keep her alive."

Jarrod nodded. "Yes, I had someone who wanted a live wolf."

He was led to the edge of camp, where a pure white she-wolf sat, chained to a stick that was embedded deeply in the ground.

Her ears perked and her gaze turned on him, her yellow eyes simply staring and looking in wonder at this new man that was so different than the natives that had cared for her lately.

Behind Jarrod, Storm and Malakai looked on as well.

"It is a wolf…" Malakai whispered.

Storm simply stared. He had never seen a wolf this close before, and he was awed at the beauty of her snow-white fur, as well as her sharp yellow eyes. Her gaze shifted from Jarrod to him, and Storm quickly averted his gaze. Behind him, Phoenix growled softly.

All three dogs sat and listened as the native asked the same question they had all been wondering.

"Do you have a way to get this wolf home?"

"I do, yes."

"Good. She is yours then." With that, the two left to get some food and join the party the natives were hosting, all of them grateful to Jarrod for bringing them what they wanted.

…

Aniu saw a new type of man-animal; he had a whiter color skin and shorter hair than the men who had been taking care of her recently. The native accompanying him pointed at her, and he nodded in approval. She knew they were talking about her, and began to grow worried.

Some of the dogs in the village had taunted her, saying that "As soon as the white man gets here, you'll be nothin' but a prize hanging above his fireplace." She wondered if this was the white man they had been talking about. Although she had pretty much resigned herself to dying, she still wasn't sure if she was ready for it.

Aniu noticed three dogs behind the two men, presumably belonging to the white man himself. One of them, with bright green eyes was glaring at her, and she could see the hate in his eyes even from the distance that separated them. Another, with brown eyes looked wary and maybe a little hateful as well, but the third, a grey-furred husky with enticing blue eyes was simply looking, a curiosity in his eyes. Aniu met his gaze, trying to read more about him, but he quickly looked away.

The men stood a few moments more, then turned and went off through the camp, probably going off to the gathering Aniu could hear going on in the center of the village. The three dogs stayed, and much to Aniu's surprise and pleasure, the grey furred one began to slowly approach her.

One of his friends, or whatever they were to him called out to him, "Haven't you heard the stories? Wolves as pretty as that always trick you. They lure you in, and then they kill you."

Aniu frowned at that, wondering what other crazy stories the dogs told about her kind. The husky ignored the comment, but he did stop. He met Aniu's gaze, and this time did not look away. She saw the same curiosity in his eyes, as if he wanted to speak to her, but was unsure of himself.

The one with green eyes stalked up to his friend and pushed him away from his position.

"Despicable." He growled in her direction.

Aniu met his hate filled stare, although it was probably not the smartest thing to do. He looked like he could kill her, even if she didn't have an injured leg and wasn't restrained by the chain.

He led the grey dog away, although he did manage to glance back at her one time. Aniu sighed and lay back down onto the ground. There went her hope for one potential ally in a world that seemed to hate her, or at very least distrust her.

..

I'm not too happy with how this ended, it feels like it could have been a little over-extended while at the same time a little rushed. Hope y'all enjoyed, and since I've got time now to write, next one will be here soon, perhaps even tonight. Stupid Fanfiction wouldn't let me upload this until right now, so the next is almost half way through already.

ANonymous


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

"Why did you do that?" Phoenix growled in a low voice once he'd pushed Storm far enough away from the wolf.

"Do what?"

"Even a restrained wolf would try to kill you if you got too close."

"I think you're wrong. I think that wolf is just a misunderstood creature, and is simply lost in a world that hates her. If she wants to try anything I think it would only be to try and escape."

"I'm sorry Storm, but you're a fool if you think that."

Storm shook his head. "I'm just trying to understand the wolf. Might as well try; we're going to have to take her back to our home."

"No, I will not try to understand that _thing, _and if it tries anything, I'll kill it."

"Fair enough."

Neither said anything more as they went back to where the rest of the group was. The exhaustion was finally setting in as the sky grew dark, making Storm and Phoenix want nothing more than to just curl up, preferably on something comfortable, and go to sleep.

They would stay in the village for all of tomorrow, and then leave the following morning.

"Did you see the wolf?" Blaze asked upon their return.

"Yes."

"Does it look mean?"

"Storm tried to approach it, but I stopped him. It didn't do anything to him but it could've been just biding its time."

Storm ignored that comment. "Do you have any clue as to how we're going to take her back home?"

"No, but we'll probably find out tomorrow."

"Agreed, let's get some sleep."

…

For the first time, the white wolf felt truly alone and afraid. She was surrounded by beings that hated and distrusted her, and now she was going to be taken to somewhere that was probably even worse. She wondered what would happen to her there. Would she be tortured and killed, just like the stories?

Aniu thought so. Unless she could gain the trust of the dog she had seen earlier. He didn't seem like the others. She was sure he didn't trust her, but would change that if she gave him reason.

And maybe, just maybe she could escape with his help.

"I will not die yet." Aniu said to herself, repeating it over until she went to sleep.

…

The next day went by relatively quickly, and the team learned about how the wolf would be taken home. Jarrod had some sharp pointed objects that were called needles, that when injected into said wolf, would make her drowsy and tired and thus unable to put up a fight. None of the dogs did anything that day except for rest, since it was expected that the first blizzard of the winter was due soon. Everyone would need to be fully energized if they were to beat the storm home.

The temperature hadn't risen above twenty degrees for the last three days, and it didn't look like it would today either. The whole team sat by Jarrod's fire, either napping or talking quietly. The man himself was sitting on a wooden chair, writing something in a notebook.

Storm sat next to Jarrod, staring into the fire. He couldn't get the wolf out of his mind. Despite what Phoenix said, he did not think that the wolf was a vicious bloodthirsty animal, but rather something that was misunderstood. Storm wanted to understand.

What he'd seen in the wolf's eyes was not that of a murderer. Having been to many places, he'd looked into the eyes of more than a few truly evil dogs and humans, so he knew what evil looked like. What Storm saw in the wolf's yellow eyes was primarily fear, fear of a world that hated her. But he'd also seen a little bit of curiosity. Perhaps she had a desire similar to his, to find out more about the beings that surrounded her.

"Storm, you alright?" Indy asked, breaking the husky free of his reverie.

"I'm fine."

"You've been acting different since you saw the wolf last night." Indy took a moment to look around, making sure no one else could hear him. "You can trust me."

"I know that…"

Indy had been like a father figure and a guide to Storm when he'd first been selected for the team. He still was, and Storm trusted him with anything.

Storm voiced his thoughts to Indy, and the husky nodded silently.

"I've got to agree with you. I wish dogs and wolves could live in peace. I've heard so many stories about the evil and nasty wolf. How they kill and maim dogs and humans alike. But I hear your point as well. We're the ones hunting them, and it's only natural to defend. I've never seen or heard anything about a wolf coming to our town and killing us."

"I also wonder what kind of stories they tell about us."

Indy didn't reply to Storm, but instead he jerked his head a little to the left.

"You might get a chance to ask."

A native was approaching the camp, the white she-wolf in his arms. She blinked drowsily when the native placed her by Jarrod's tent, Storm noticing that her legs were tied together. When she looked up, she seemed to recognize Storm, and he saw something flash in her eyes. It was fleeting however, because as soon as she lifted her head Phoenix growled and she promptly lowered her head again.

"Phoenix!" Jarrod said sternly, reprimanding his dog who quickly quieted. "You will not harm her."

And again Jarrod Anderson was thankful for his dogs. They always seemed to understand what he said to them. Aniu was thankful for Jarrod as well. Even though she couldn't understand him like the dogs surrounding her could, she knew that he held authority over them, and that gave her a small bit of hope. That didn't stop the one called Phoenix from speaking to her though.

"Listen to me wolf. I don't care how much you act, I know your kind. You're evil. I will obey my master and I will not hurt you, but if you so much as touch a single hair or so much as snap at me, my teammates, or my master, I will kill you. Do you understand me?"

Aniu quickly nodded.

"I can't hear you."

"Yes." She said softly.

"What? I still can't hear you."

"Yes… I understand." Every dog in the circle looked at her in shock, as if she had just been birthed and then said her first word on the same day.

"Good wolf."

Meanwhile Jarrod thanked the native for bringing the wolf to him, and he quickly took out one of his tranquilizer shots and injected Aniu. She felt only a small prick, but felt the effect immediately. She was suddenly tired, and her eye lids drooped and her head rested on her paws.

She still looked around, and her yellow eyes focused on the same grey husky that she'd been thinking about. Aniu wished that she could speak to him and only him, but knew that wasn't going to happen anytime soon. Partially because of the fact that his teammates probably wouldn't leave her alone, and the more immediate reason being whatever she'd just been subjected to.

Aniu relaxed quickly, dropping off into a deep cold sedation. Phoenix watched this with a small amount of satisfaction. He still wanted to kill her, but doing so would probably bring about his own demise. He worked for Jarrod, and in return got food, water, and shelter. He didn't want to do anything to compromise that. Jarrod then made sure the wolf was securely restrained. No one wanted her to be able to free herself if she woke during the night. Jarrod put a muzzle on her and then tied her to a two foot long rope, leaving barely any room to maneuver.

All of the dogs made sure to get out of range of the wolf, in case she still tried to do something.

Storm wanted to speak with her. He laid himself down to nap. It was his hope that she would awaken sometime during the night, so then he could ask her some questions, and maybe find out the truth about wolves.

..

Pretty boring and a lot of repeating things. I guess this story is also gonna be my attempt at writing somewhat of a love type story. I've never been good at those, and I've attempted more than one. Y'all think I'm doing okay? On another note, I'll say this as well. This story, for what I'm plannin' is going to turn into my own sort of Balto series. Already got ideas for a couple of things after this one.

Thanks for the reviews, feel free to leave a lot more. They really do help.

Anonymous


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

(Is anyone else besides me having trouble uploading documents to FanFiction?)

Only the red, glowing fire and the twinkling stars provided any light. There was no moon out that night, but Aniu could still tell that it was already nearing morning. Whatever that human had given her had put her asleep for at least fourteen hours.

Without looking, she could tell that everyone around her was asleep. She also then realized that she was still restrained, not like they would just let her go, but it was still annoying. Aniu wanted to run and stretch her severely underused muscles, which were beginning to ache with all of the forced inactivity. She thought it amusing though, because if one month ago someone had told her that she wouldn't like being lazy for a month, she probably would've hit them and called them crazy. As it were now, she wanted to be free.

And the only conceivable idea at the moment was gaining someone's trust. Aniu's gaze settled on the grey dog. He was sleeping the closest to her, but was still more than ten feet away. Aniu searched for some way to get his attention without waking someone else. A small stick that had apparently been dropped lay beside her, so she somehow managed to pick it up between her two tied together forepaws.

She then attempted to throw the stick at him, but winced when it missed his ear by an inch and instead poked the dog beside him on the nose.

"Huh?" The dog said quietly, looking around for whatever or whoever had thrown the stick at him. Aniu quickly closed her eyes and steadied her breathing, so as to appear sleeping. She waited a few minutes, listening until the dog went back to sleep.

Finding nothing else she could throw, Aniu settled for attempting to blow on his ear. She knew that it was stupid and wouldn't work, but she wasn't tired and there was nothing else to throw.

After about ten minutes she gave up and stopped to catch her breath. Of course, as soon as she did so, the dog woke up. His blue eyes immediately fixated on hers, the glow of the fire intensifying his stare. It was only then that Aniu realized she had no idea what to say.

"Uh... hi?"

The dog took a breath to reply, but he was interrupted as his human master came out of his shelter.

_Why? _Aniu thought, cursing the horrible timing. She could tell the grey dog felt the same, the waves of disappointment emanating off of him were almost palpable. The human was getting ready what she recognized as a sled, so it was unlikely that the man would be going back to sleep. The other dogs were also beginning to stir, so the grey one walked by her quickly.

"We'll talk tonight." He whispered, his breath tickling her ear. And with that, he rushed off to do whatever was needed of him.

….

Storm was in no mood to eat. He'd been so close. Even though he had no idea how he would begin any sort of conversation, he knew that he needed to. Somehow during the night, he had come to a decision that he would help the wolf, if only so he could ask some questions. So Storm ate what food he could, he'd need the energy to keep up with his bouncing and hyper teammates.

While they waited, kneading their paws into the fresh snow, Storm simply stood, watching. Jarrod injected the wolf again, and placed her into a small, secure area in the sled he'd cleared out for her, he then went and finished up his business with the other men.

"You're quiet today Storm," Malakai commented, momentarily stopping his current argument with Phoenix, "What's the matter, wolf got your tongue?"

Malakai laughed at that. Storm did too, because it was funny how true that actually was. Soon enough however, Jarrod returned and got the team running, cutting all chatter immediately.

They made good time for which Jarrod was grateful. Before leaving, he'd been warned that a snow storm was building up. Although he didn't fully trust the natives and their ability to predict the weather, he knew that they were often correct. And by the time four hours passed, dark clouds were building up ominously to the west, making Jarrod stop to think over his options. The temperature was already dropping. He was thinking of either one of two choices. Stop now, and search for a place to stay, or keep going. Jarrod knew of an old cabin about an hour ahead, one he often used when he made this run.

It had a fireplace and plenty of wood in it, something he'd left for an emergency such as this. It was decent sized, but only one room, and no furniture whatsoever. Although he didn't doubt his team's ability to run in a storm, he would just rather be safe than sorry. It was almost as if Indy knew what Jarrod was thinking, because he could feel the whole sled shift, as the team turned onto the path towards the afore mentioned cabin.

After about forty-five minutes, they made it. Already snow was beginning to fall, so Jarrod wasted no time feeding and watering his animals, including the wolf, which was awake again. He left her chained to a large tree outside, knowing she'd be alright outside. Jarrod then put his sled next to the door of the small cabin, where he then took out some supplies and brought them inside said space.

The building had only two windows on either side of the fireplace, which was on the wall opposite the door he just entered. Jarrod wasted no time starting a fire, using some of the decent sized amount wood he'd left inside. After that he then made himself some food and heated up some water. His dogs were given the option to come inside, which all of them did, settling themselves into the corners closest to the door.

Indy made his way over to Jarrod and settled down beside him, letting out a soft 'hmmm' when he got into a comfortable place. Jarrod rested a hand on the dog's head, stroking his ears gently. Indy was perhaps Jarrod's best dog. He had had the dog since it was a pup, and both were very much attached to each other. Jarrod would miss Indy when he retired.

He had recently been thinking about entering a race, one which ran between Fairbanks, Alaska and Nome, Alaska, and was called the All-Alaskan Sweepstakes. He had been told by people in his town that he if he worked his dogs, he could have a good chance of winning the race. Jarrod was seriously considering running the race, which would be Indy's final run before Jarrod retired him.

He turned to take a sip of the tea he'd made with the hot water, setting the cup down and then picking up a book. He and his team were snug and warm, completely oblivious to the storm going on outside. All of them except for one dog.

Storm watched the blizzard through the windows, thinking only of the white wolf outside. Although he was sure she'd be fine (wolves were supposed to be used to these kinds of conditions, right?), it didn't stop his worrying about her.

He was also disappointed because the storm meant that yet again, he would be unable to speak with her. Storm sighed and shook his head, trying to rid his mind of all thoughts about the white wolf. Perhaps he could wait for the winds to die down, and then go out and then sneak out to speak with her. He knew one thing though, and that was neither he or the rest of the team were going anywhere until the storm cleared up, so Storm settled in as best he could, waiting for his opportunity.

..

There actually is a race called the All-Alaska Sweepstakes, which I spent about an hour researching before simply deciding make up my own terms for the race. I'm just usin' the name. Actually, Leohnard Seppala, one of the mushers who brought the medicine in the real Nome serum run, won this race twice I believe. Just somethin' interesting I thought I'd share with y'all. Hope ya enjoyed this, next part here when it's ready. (Or whenever FanFiction allows me to upload it.)

ANonymous


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

He didn't know how long he sat staring out the window, but when a clearing came he almost missed it. Storm had been so caught up in imagining his own little world that it took his brain a few minutes to register what his eyes were seeing. And that was nothing. It was dark outside, clouds still in the sky and blocking out any light the stars would've provided.

Storm quietly rose; making sure everyone was indeed asleep before going to the door. He pushed it open with one paw, slipping through it and into the snow outside. It had gotten quite deep in such a short amount of time, almost consuming his whole foreleg. He sat and waited for his eyes to adjust to the darkness of the night, and eventually trudged off through the snow towards where he thought Jarrod had left the wolf.

There was almost no sound, save for the lightly blowing wind rattling the dead trees. Storm made sure not to get too close to the wolf as he didn't trust her. Storm looked around. He saw nothing except for unbroken snow. Then suddenly the wolf leapt out of the snow, having been curled up under it. The snow flew out, sending Storm back a few paces.

"So you actually came to speak with me." The white wolf commented.

"Yes, I told you I would."

"I didn't think you would. For all I know you could really hate me too, and simply be out here to kill me."

"And for all I know you could be some evil, bloodthirsty animal trying to do the same to me."

The white wolf shook her head. "I'm sorry. Let's start over. My name is Aniu, what's yours?"

"I'm Storm. It's nice to know your name."

"Same to you."

After that, neither canine spoke for a few minutes, neither sure of what to say to the other that wouldn't possibly offend them or drive them away.

"So… what's it like," Storm began, trying to start somewhere, "being a wolf?"

"What do you mean?" Aniu asked, puzzled.

"I mean, what do you do?"

"Not much, just get up every day and go hunting, guard our territory, and drive away any intruders who come into it without permission."

Storm nodded, taking note of the word 'permission'.

"What about you? What's it like being a dog?"

"Good I guess. We do our work for the humans, and they provide us with food and shelter."

The two talked more, feeling gradually more comfortable as they went along. They stayed away from any controversial topics, and instead focused on getting to know each other more. Storm spoke a lot about how he longed to run in a race, amongst other things, and Aniu told him about the thrill of hunting and running free. It didn't seem like they had talked that long, but before either of them knew it, the sun was steadily rising from the east.

Aniu's ears pricked, and she looked towards the cabin.

"I think your team is waking up. You better get away from me." Aniu said, "Wouldn't want you to get in trouble."

"I'm sorry-"Storm started.

"Nah don't worry about it, I'm used to being disliked now anyway."

Storm just gave her a glance, and then hurried away. Aniu curled back up in the snow, waiting a few minutes. When she knew all the dogs were outside, she stood up and stretched, acting as if she'd just woken up. Just as she did so, she was again given more of the stuff that made her sleep.

After she was indeed out, Jarrod analyzed the weather. The storm seemed to be holding off for the moment, so he packed everything up. He would go as far as possible until the storm returned, hoping he'd make at least a little headway.

After ten minutes he and the team were ready to go, skipping breakfast because they had to get going. Jarrod gave them the command to go, and off they went running through the forest.

…

The team was able to go for a good six hours before the storm seemingly appeared again out of no-where. Within five minutes the wind was blowing so hard and the snow falling so thick that Jarrod couldn't even see to the front of his team, let alone see what obstacles might be ahead of them. He got off the sled and led the team himself, trying to find somewhere safe to hide.

"I think we're lost!" Malakai called from Storm's left.

"Thank you for telling US!" Phoenix growled back, the sarcasm evident in his voice.

Jarrod trudged through the thick snow leading Indy, hoping they'd find shelter. Aniu had woken up, and found herself still incapacitated, other than her ability to look around. She got snow in her eyes, and could tell the dogs were having trouble getting through the storm.

After tripping over a rock buried by the snow, Jarrod found the entrance to what looked like a good sized cave. He ducked down and went inside, immediately wishing he hadn't. A huge brown bear looked down on him, ready to crush the comparatively tiny human that had dared interrupt its sleep.

Jarrod fumbled with the rifle on his shoulder, and managed to get it into his hands, cocking the bolt-action rifle and shooting the bear once, which only served to make it angrier. It then lunged at him. Jarrod, thinking quickly and using his smaller size to an advantage, rolled back out of the cave as the bear hit its nose on the wall behind where he'd just been standing. It gave Jarrod enough time to set free his dogs, who then formed a line, three on either side of him.

Jarrod reloaded his rifle and shot the bear in the face when it tried to come out. Again the bullet only served to make said animal angrier. Indy, Phoenix, and Storm all launched themselves at the bear. It swatted the first two away like flies, grabbing Storm out of the air and slamming him into the ground, eliciting a cry of both pain and rage from the husky. He managed to sink his jaws into the paw pressing down on him, which only resulted in even more pressure on his chest. Storm was sure that any moment his ribs would be crushed and he'd be flattened.

Jarrod thought otherwise as he literally shoved the muzzle of his rifle down the bears throat and fired two shots in rapid succession. The body fell limply to the ground and directly on top of the already suffocating Storm. Jarrod dropped his rifle, hurrying to try to get the heavy body off of Storm before the dog either suffocated or was crushed. His remaining dogs and Phoenix, who was recovered from the hit he'd taken, joined their master. The dogs buried their back paws into the frozen ground and pushed with their front paws.

Together the four dogs and one human managed to move the animal enough to allow Storm to crawl out. He was winded and had a cut on his right shoulder where one of the bear's claws had caught him, but he was otherwise unharmed. Aniu had felt completely useless during that fight, unable to do anything but sit and watch.

Jarrod let out a sigh of relief. "Good job- where's Indy?"

Everyone looked around for the dog, until Blaze spotted him a few yards away, lying underneath a tree.

Jarrod hurried over to his lead dog, the rest of his team behind him. Indy glanced up at him and tried to rise, but couldn't.

"No…" Jarrod whispered, bending down to place a gloved hand on his dog. Although Indy wasn't bleeding, Jarrod could tell he probably had some serious internal injuries. He was an old dog, and his body wasn't as strong as it had once been.

Indy let out a small whimper, telling everyone present that he was hurting. He knew he wouldn't make it, and he died that night, his master cradling his head and stroking him gently.

..

I really didn't like writing this, I hate when my characters get killed. Perhaps I shouldn't even be writing this story, as we all know what probably is going to happen to two more of the characters anyway. Oh well, I am enjoying writing this, and it'll help my skills. On the bright side, Fanfiction seems to be working normally for me again (yay!). Hope ya enjoyed. And feel free to click that little blue link below this that says 'review this story' and give me some feedback about how I'm doin'. Thanks y'all.

-ANonymous


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Jarrod didn't know how long he sat there, but the next thing he knew, something wet touched up against the left side of his face. He looked up and into Storm's eyes. He knew that the husky was upset over his teammate's death, but was also worried about Jarrod himself.

"I'm alright bud; just… give me a minute." Storm seemed to understand and trotted away.

Storm went over to stand by the sled.

"Hey… I'm sorry about your friend." Aniu said quietly.

"It's just weird… you think someone is always going to be there… and then when they're gone it's just like, you can't believe it."

Aniu nodded in sympathy. "If it helps any, my mother died when I was just a pup. I can't say I know how you feel, as I was really too young to remember her, but I do miss her."

"I'm just not sure- no, we're not sure what to do. And it doesn't help," Storm added, glancing over at Jarrod, who was gently brushing the snow off of Indy's fur," when our master has no idea what to do either."

Storm noticed the others stirring, uncurling themselves from their snow-dens. "I'd better go."

"I understand."

The five remaining dogs ate their food half-heartedly. None wanted to eat, but they needed their energy. Jarrod made a space on the sled for Indy, and placed him in it, intending to give his dog a proper burial. They weren't out of the woods yet though, literally and figuratively. They were still off trail. And much to Storm's surprise, it was _his _job to lead them out.

When he was hooked to the front of the team, he couldn't help but feel a small amount of pride and satisfaction. He still would've given it all up to have Indy back… but Storm was still determined to do his best and perhaps prove something to his master.

Jarrod trusted Storm. Even though Phoenix had been the second in line to Indy, Jarrod had more faith in Storm. He had been trained all his life by Indy, while Phoenix had been purchased two years ago, having been previously trained. And Storm didn't disappoint.

He had them back onto the trail within an hour, and they were making good time despite being down a dog. Jarrod noticed the wolf looking around, and he let her do so, as he really didn't have the heart at the moment to put her back to sleep.

Aniu was a bit nervous. She had no idea where they were, how far they had gone, and how far they still had to go. She wished she could see more than just trees passing by, as that was the only hope she had at possibly being able to get back home. Wherever that was.

Storm also found a good place to stop during the night, between two trees that had low overhanging branches.

Jarrod was able to throw a piece of tarp over the branch, making himself a crude half-tent like shelter. He then chained the wolf to a tree that was about fifty yards from his camp, and went to gather some wood. None of the dogs were really in the mood to talk, so they simply sat and waited for their evening meal.

Aniu took the chance to finally stretch her legs, simply circling around the tree, winding and unwinding the chain. It felt good to move again, even if it wasn't running or hunting. Jarrod also gave her some of the dried dog food, which she refused to eat because it smelled horrible and probably tasted even worse.

"You'd better eat that."

Aniu glanced to her left, and wondered how Storm had gotten that close without her noticing. He was sitting beside a tree, about three feet out of her range.

"It smells horrible."

"It doesn't taste any better, but even a wolf needs to keep up their energy." Storm replied, teasing her.

"Whatever you say." Aniu said, rolling her eyes.

She took one bite and gagged immediately, only managing to swallow it after about ten seconds. Storm let out a small laugh, and Aniu glared at him angrily.

"It's _not _funny. How do you manage to eat that stuff?"

"Just used to it I guess."

Aniu was able to choke down the rest of the food, and felt sick soon after. She wasn't used to whatever was in that stuff.

"That wasn't so bad, was it?"

"It was horrible."

Storm laughed again.

"It's not funny!" Aniu protested.

"Yes it is."

"I swear, if I ever get the chance, I'll get you back somehow."

"We'll see about that."

"Indeed we shall."

Storm talked with Aniu a few more minutes, before hearing a call to go get his own food. After saying goodbye to each other, Storm hurried off to get his own food, and it was then that he realized that while he'd been with Aniu, he'd completely forgotten about Indy, as well as pretty much else. She seemed genuine enough, but he still wasn't completely sure of whether or not to trust her. Even though he though Phoenix was wrong, he would still err on the side of caution on the subject of Aniu.

Little did he know the white-wolf was thinking similar thoughts. Aniu enjoyed talking with Storm, and liked the way his eyes would shine when he- Aniu stopped that thought right there, banging it right out of her head both figuratively and literally.

This was someone she had only known for what, three days? And on top of that, he was a _dog. _While Aniu herself had no problems with dog and wolf relationships, most wolves, and presumably most dogs thought otherwise.

And the only reason was prejudice, the hate each species had for each other. Aniu was beginning to realize that both species were actually quite similar to the other, simply from observing. Both were simply trying to survive, except going about it in two different ways. Aniu wished that both could see each other for their true selves, and not just see the false, distorted images that had been passed down from generation to generation. If they could see that, relations between the two would already be better off.

Aniu knew too well the consequences of dog and wolf relations. Although she'd never actually known anyone who had met a dog, she'd heard stories of it happening. However possible it was that the stories were distorted or even false, the consequences were very tangible. It depended mostly on the wolf pack that anything happened to, but punishments ranged from simply disowning of the wolf in question, to sometimes killing them. Aniu couldn't even imagine how horrible that must be. Two creatures, knowing the truth about each other and doing nothing, put to death for that.

When she tried to take another step, Aniu discovered that she had unconsciously tangled herself around the tree. After carefully extracting herself from the web-like mess she'd made, Aniu sat back down, secretly hoping that her husky friend would return, although not allowing herself to admit she wanted that.

Storm ate his food quietly. The mood was still pretty downcast in the area, everyone spreading out after they were done with their own food, just wanting to be alone. Since everyone seemed to be heading away from Aniu, that gave Storm the opportunity to go talk with her some more if he so wished.

The sky was quickly darkening, and since Jarrod had not yet built a fire, and Storm didn't think he would, tonight would probably be pretty cold. Deciding he didn't want to even be near this, the grey husky returned to see if his wolf friend wanted to talk some more.

When he got close, Aniu looked at him but didn't say anything.

"Is someth-"

"Be quiet!" Aniu hissed, "I heard something."

Both Storm and Aniu scanned the quickly darkening forest, neither seeing anything threatening or dangerous.

"Storm, behind you!"

Storm whirled around, but was a second too late. He saw only a tall dark figure and an object descending down upon him. Storm didn't even have time to move before it came crashing down on his head.

Then there was darkness.

..

This section actually troubled me a bit, as I had a few different ideas of where this could go. I think I chose the right path for it. What do you think?

Thanks,

-ANonymouS


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Storm groaned and pushed himself upright. He expected a wave of nausea to overcome him, but was pleasantly surprised when it didn't. He also found that he didn't hurt anywhere near as much as he would've expected after taking a blow like that. Storm noticed that the claw wound he'd received was bleeding a little bit, but he wasn't concerned.

It looked as though he'd been out for a while, as it was already past noon the next day. He looked over for Aniu. There was no sign of her. The snow showed that she'd fought viciously against whatever had attacked them, but eventually she had been beaten and then dragged off.

Storm got up and stalked towards where the rest of his team had been. As he got closer, he began to smell the wet, sticky, and horrible smell of blood, and lots of it. He stumbled upon the horribly blood-stained body of Phoenix. It looked as though the dog had had all of his legs broken, then had been beaten and shot on top of that. And to Storm's horror, he was still alive, his chest barely moving, but he was breathing none the less.

"S..s..Storm?" He managed.

"Yes, I'm here. Tell me what happened?"

"I'm not sure… they came out of no where, killing all of us just for the wolf and our supplies… they stole the sled too. Storm, I'm gonna die, aren't I?"

Storm had been considering lying to his friend, if only to make him more comfortable in his last moments, but as he looked into Phoenix's green eyes, Storm knew he knew that was the end.

"Yes."

Phoenix actually managed a small laugh. "Funny, I never thought I'd die this way…" He broke off into a fit of coughing, spitting up horrible amounts of red liquid.

"Promise me one thing… promise me you'll find them and kill them for what they did."  
>Storm nodded. "I will."<p>

"Thank you." And with that, Phoenix took one more breath, then he lay still. Storm checked the rest of the bodies, all of which were horribly distorted, some to the point he couldn't even tell who they were. At first he felt sad, but then he felt angry. Very angry. Something inside of Storm snapped, transforming him in that moment, from a kind and good hearted sled dog, to a bloodthirsty and vicious killer willing to do anything to avenge his teammates and masters deaths.

He could also smell that Aniu had not yet been killed. Perhaps if he hurried, he could prevent yet her death too. Storm now had nothing left to lose. His whole family had been killed by whoever had done this. Aniu still had friends and family out there somewhere, and Storm would be damned if he didn't at least try to help her get back to them. He owed it to her, his team and perhaps to himself as well, to find and kill the perpetrators of this horrible crime.

Storm set off, his eyes ablaze with a blue fire, one that was not to be messed with. He was a dog on a mission.

….

Much to Storm's surprise and pleasure, he found a dog sled trail not too far from where his friends had been murdered. The team looked huge from what he could tell, there were at least fourteen different scents, but they were so mixed together there could've been a lot more.

Storm followed their trail and hardly stopped. He walked through night and day, his determination still strong and fueled by the anger and hate that would only stop when someone had paid. He only stopped to take drinks and for brief periods during the night to get a little sleep.

After about a day, Storm was pretty sure that they were heading back to the very same town he'd started this journey from. And that town was White Mountain. They were going the right direction, and were probably going to sell what had once been his team's goods for money. This angered the husky even further, because no one would probably ever know what had happened to them. They would just assume that he had gotten lost in the storm perhaps, and had never made it back.

As for the wolf, they could make up the excuse that they had caught her themselves. It wasn't like anyone would bother checking into it, they would be so caught up in their hate for the mysterious white she-wolf that sat before them to even think about how it had gotten into their hands. Storm only hoped that he could make it to her in time to try to help what was probably his last friend alive.

It took him three days of hard walking, but he did go a lot faster because he wasn't limited by a team or cargo. Storm arrived back in White Mountain late one night, and after finding his masters house and pushing his way inside of it did he realize how tired he truly was. Storm just sank to the floor, asleep within thirty seconds, and not waking up any time soon.

….

Aniu had been able to do nothing but watch as Storm and his team were slaughtered by a team of three men and more than sixteen dogs. Then they had taken the fallen team's goods as well as Aniu. She had fought fiercely against three of the dogs that had attacked her, but because of the chain and the overwhelming odds it was a losing battle.

She didn't know where they were taking her, but didn't really care. These people were a lot crueler and meaner to her than any humans she had seen before. They had taken to beating Aniu with hard sticks and clubs, quickly beating any resistance and any hope of survival right out of her body. Aniu lost track of any sense of time and direction, as she spent most of her time in a forced sleep. She still was fed, and it was thankfully better than that dry stuff she'd had to eat before.

After four days of travel she entered another human town, this one a lot bigger and a lot more scary than the first one she had been in. The buildings were larger, the people were meaner, and the dogs were a lot more numerous. Any stare shot her way was hate filled, and she only received a few passing glances that showed any hint of sorrow for her.

Aniu was taken to a rather large building and thrown in another steel cage, this one bolted to a hard concrete floor. After that, two men walked in, accompanied by who Aniu knew of as the leader of the three she had been travelling with.

One of the two new men, a short, fat man smoking a cigar pointed to Aniu.

"_This _is your idea of a fighting wolf? Hah!" He said laughing, "I say she'll go down within thirty seconds!"

"Fifty bucks says she wins her fight." Jones said in an even tone.

"Hah, you're on!" The fat man accepted, shaking Jones hand firmly.

The other man, tall and skinny agreed with his companion. "I'm sorry buddy, but I've gotta go with Virgil on this one, that wolf doesn't look like she could hurt a mouse, let alone a fighting dog. I'll bet ya fifty dollars as well."

Jones just smirked. "Just don't complain tomorrow when you lose your money."

"We ain't gonna lose our money." Virgil replied nonchalantly. With that, the two men turned and walked out.

After they left, Jones turned to Aniu and bent down in front of her, giving her a stare that sent shivers down her whole body.

"Now you better not let me down, wolfy, I'm countin' on you." Jones left the building after that, leaving the white wolf alone and scared, wondering what was going to happen to her next.

..

Well, this went better than I thought. I really do hate killin' my characters off, but those were just fillers and not really important to the story, except to serve as motivation for one husky as he attempts to help a certain wolf. And as before, thanks to those who've left comments, and please leave more! I would really like to know what more people think about this.

-ANonymouS


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Storm ended up sleeping for over sixteen hours, not waking until past noon the next day. He got himself up and went outside to the shed where his team used to live, the place seeming unnaturally empty. He felt a pang in his heart, thinking about the team he'd never see again, and knowing that he was the only one who could do them justice. Storm took a moment to let all of his emotions; his anger and hate build up in him so he would have strength and power when he needed it.

Storm stalked off towards the town, a dangerous glint in his eyes. He would still have to be smart. He didn't know how many dogs had attacked his team, or who they were or what they looked like. So if Storm was seen by one of them, the whole thing could turn bad quickly. He would have to be careful about how he did this. As far as anyone knew, Storm was dead, and he wanted to keep it that way for as long as possible.

Storm went into the town. _I need to try to attract as little attention as possible while not looking like I'm not trying to attract attention. _Storm scowled at how little that thought made sense and yet how much sense it made.

Storm looked around, trying to figure out where a good place to hide a wolf would be. Getting Aniu was his first priority. Then he would deal with his own emotions, but Aniu had to be saved, as she very much deserved to have a chance to get home.

Storm glanced around and noticed a particularly large crowd of people heading towards the old warehouse. He knew dog fighting often went on in there, and although people usually didn't pay too much attention to it, if something…

Then it hit him. Aniu was in there, and _she _would be fighting. That's what was attracting so much attention.

He took off towards the building, swerving through crowds of people and dogs alike, earning him more than a few angry comments and gestures. While he wasn't allowed inside, Storm snuck around the back of the warehouse and climbed up a stack of boxes to a dirtied and partially broken window so he could look down onto the crowd below.

The ring where the dogs would fight was surrounded by hay bales, and currently two dogs were fighting in it. Both were at each other's throats, the crowd cheering when the larger of the two dogs bowled the smaller one over, slamming him into the ground and finishing him within a few seconds. The losing men then gave their money to the winners, and the next fight was to begin.

The crowd parted, and a man led the next fighter down into the ring. Storm instantly recognized the white furred yellow-eyed wolf, and he had to stop himself from leaping in through the glass right then and there. Getting himself hurt, or more likely, killed would help no one. Besides, Storm was sure Aniu knew how to fight, she was a wolf! All wolves knew how to fight, at least, Storm hoped so, or else this wouldn't be a fight but more like a slaughter.

…

It was dark inside the little room, but she could hear a lot of people outside. Some of them sounded happy, some sounded disappointed, but all of them were cheering about something.

Before Aniu even knew what was going on, someone opened the door to her room, allowing a bright stream of light inside, temporarily blinding her. The person then proceeded to drag her by the muzzle/collar thing that was around her neck.

She was then dragged into a large room absolutely filled with people, more than she'd ever seen in one area before. There were several men passing what looked like green leaves, as well as golden and silver coins between themselves. Dogs also sat, eying her curiously. The stench of cigarette smoke, alcohol, and most noticeably blood filled the room, and that was when Aniu realized what went on in here. These people would make bets on dog fighting, who would win and such, and that _she _was to be the next contender.

The person who was dragging her abruptly stopped, took off her muzzle, and threw her into the fighting ring. It was surrounded by four foot high walls made of hay bales, and though Aniu knew it was possible to jump out of there, she likely wouldn't make it very far, as a lot of the people in the crowd had guns.

"Pretty far from your home, aren't you wolfy?" A taunting voice commented.

Aniu noticed then the husky that was in the ring with her. He stood imposingly, a large dog that had many scars on him, making him look all the more fierce. The crowd shouted their approval, and made their bets. Aniu wondered what kind of odds she was getting.

Both stood facing each other, the dogs back to the crowd and hers to a wall. Finally a bell was rung that Aniu knew meant the fight had started, and the dog started circling her. Aniu did the same, and both turned counter clockwise until their positions were reversed.

The husky then lunged at Aniu, feigning left and attacking right. Aniu felt his snapping teeth glide through the white fur on her neck as she jerked herself back, the husky instead running into the wall that had been right behind Aniu.

She used the two-second time from his being dazed to her advantage, and leapt up on top of the husky's back and wrapped her forepaws around his neck. The larger dog easily threw her off and pushed Aniu back into the ground, stomach up. He pressed his paws down onto her neck, attempting to crush her jugular.

Aniu kicked between the dogs back legs, and his body automatically tensed up. Aniu broke free of his hold, clamping her jaws down on his neck and swiping her paws through his. And just like that, she was on top.

Aniu hated killing someone, but knew that if she didn't, the husky wouldn't hesitate, especially after what she'd done to him, to kill her.

The husky tried to kick her off, but his blows were becoming weaker each time. Eventually someone from the crowd leapt into the ring and pulled Aniu off, but it was much too late. The husky dog convulsed twice before lying still.

The crowd was in absolute shock, no one saying anything or moving for a few seconds. Aniu looked around at the crowd, all of their faces unreadable. Then a huge cheer went up, and people were once again trading their money.

Jones stood up triumphantly, collecting at least five hundred dollars in profit. He seemed to be content with that, for as soon as he'd pocketed all of his earnings, he quickly muzzled Aniu, who didn't resist due to the stick in the humans grasp. He took her back to the same dark room and put her inside.

He allowed her to eat a piece of meat, something Jones felt the wolf deserved for her performance. When she was done, he reapplied the muzzle, and then made her go back into the cage.

"Good job wolfy," he commented, "you sure proved them wrong. Keep performin' this way for me."

With that, Jones turned around and left the room, leaving Aniu in almost total darkness once more.

…

After watching to make sure that Aniu was once again safe, Storm quietly descended from his perch and breathed a sigh of relief. He had been worried there. Even though the fight had lasted all of a minute, it had seemed like an eternity. More than once Storm had had to stop himself from jumping down into the middle of the fight. Aniu had performed well though, and was quickly taken out of the ring, much to his pleasure and relief.

Storm decided he needed a plan of action. He analyzed the ally he was in, and it looked like if he jumped from the stack of boxes, he could make it onto the slanted roof of the warehouse. Deciding to test that theory, Storm climbed back up the boxes, wondering why he had even dropped down in the first place.

Balancing carefully, he found he was easily able to clamber up on top of the building. Although it was a bit slippery, he was able to move somewhat quickly. From here Storm could see over most of the town, and he looked for the safest and quickest way out of town. While he was fairly confident in his ability to get Aniu out of the warehouse, despite the team that lived there during the night, it was getting her out of town and to somewhere that was safe that would likely be the biggest challenge.

Storm walked to one edge of the building, and saw that the next place over was within jumping distance, and had a flat roof, much to Storm's great surprise. He jumped onto the roof, landing with a quiet thud, and continued on. The next building was a house, again with a slanted roof. Storm kept himself hidden as he jumped to the roof. He walked quickly across that one, and to the last, but probably most challenging building. Behind the house was an ally way that led directly out of the town. Storm leapt to the roof, sliding off immediately. He stayed skidded down the icy roof like a professional skater, and completed his landing magnificently.

Satisfied with his new escape route, Storm followed the ally out of town, and then circled around to Jarrod's house, which was thankfully about a half a mile outside of the town. Perhaps he and Aniu could hide there for the night, if she wanted to, then the next morning she could leave for her pack, or wherever she lived.

It was then that Storm wondered, _what will I do when this was all over? _The thought had crossed his mind more than once, but he'd never stopped to dwell on it until now. What would he do?

What Storm hoped was that another sled team would pick him up, although with no human master to trade or sell him; Storm knew that many mushers would be at least a little bit hesitant about allowing a stray to join their team. He shook his head violently, clearing all thoughts. Helping Aniu was the most important thing now; he could worry about what was to become of him later.

And he still wanted vengeance. Maybe, after Aniu was safe he would return to fulfill that, and if he got killed, so be it. There was no one left in his world to care for him, so perhaps he was better off dead? Again, Storm cleared his thoughts, this time banging his nose into the wall of Jarrod's house to do so.

_Don't think like that, Storm. There's something out there for you to do, a team that will take you somewhere, all you have to do is sit back and wait for it._

And so he did, Storm sat back and waited for night to come, as he would need all possible cover. _Just wait a few more hours Aniu, I'm coming for you._

_.._

I'm caught up now after being able to write while FF had problems. But we're going to be very busy now, so no updates for probably the next week. As many of you knew, my Grandmother was sick with cancer. She died yesterday at 4:10, I got the call only minutes after I uploaded yesterdays chapter. Now don't think of me as some heartless person, but I'm actually not that sad. Well I suppose I am, but I know that, after seventy-eight years of living, and living well at that, I'd be ready to retire to God's kingdom with eternal life, love, and happiness as well. Just so ya know.

As before, please leave a comment. I like to know how good, or not good I'm doing. And don't forget to watch the Super Bowl!

Thanks y'all,

-ANonymouS


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

(A/N: Done with the funeral, and I guess it really didn't hit me until today, the finality of this whole situation. I've only been through one other significant death.. but like I've been saying, she is in a better place. The Priest today reinforced that. So this is the last of this whole situation, and here's the rescue! Enjoy!)

Storm had been unable to do anything but pace around the house, anxious and ready to go. So when seven o'clock in the evening rolled around, Storm was more than grateful. He left feeling like he could run a hundred miles, and do so all in one day. He forced himself to stay calm though, and was also thankful that it was Monday night, so everyone would be going to sleep early as they had to work tomorrow.

Now Storm had to think of how to get inside the building Aniu was being kept. He walked down the quiet street, deep in thought. He supposed he could just walk in, but that would likely get him seen and noticed, then at the very least, thrown out.

"Hey, Storm!" someone called.

The husky in question looked up and saw three dogs, one male and two female, heading his way. Storm groaned inwardly. He knew these three, although their names escaped him at the moment. More than once they tried to get him to partake in activities he was not interested in. And he really didn't care tonight either, they would do nothing but take up his time. So as soon as they stopped in front of him, he spoke.

"Look, if you leave me alone now, I'll do whatever you want me to do tomorrow night, I promise"

"Really?" one asked, her eyes sparkling.

"Yes."

"Alright."

Storm briefly wondered what he'd just gotten himself in to, but he pushed that conflict aside for now, as he was free to move again. Storm hurried to the building where Aniu was being kept.

He decided to climb up onto the roof again, as an idea was forming n his mind. He went around the back of the large building, climbed up the boxes and onto the roof. He looked around for a moment before spotting what he wanted. Storm saw the brick chimney sticking out the top of the roof, and he took a quick glance down it. He couldn't smell any smoke, so he took that as a good sign.

Storm carefully lowered himself down into the hole, his heart rate and breathing quickening with anticipation, but also because of the small space. He managed to slide awkwardly down the tunnel, balancing himself by propping his back against one side of the brick wall, and slowly shifting his paws down.

He landed, out of breath and okay, albeit covered in a layer of black soot, which he realized would point directly to how he got inside, and once he left, it would leave a trail behind.

Storm attempted to shake the soot off, and succeeded in getting most of it off, but he still had a slightly black tint on his grey fur. All it did was make said fur look darker though. He then examined the room he was in. It was completely bare except for the fireplace he'd just come out of. It looked like someone might have lived there once, but was long since gone.

There was only one door leading out of the dark room, which had fallen off its hinges and was currently lying on the floor. He stepped over it and exited the room and came out into a fairly long corridor, presumably leading to the arena where the fights took place. Several doors were on each side of the wall, most of them closed. Storm went quietly down the hallways, trying to scent Aniu.

After six doors he caught her scent, and pushed the door open and went into probably the darkest room he'd ever seen. Storm could see the white wolf sleeping peacefully in her cage, her with an almost luminous quality to it.

"Hey." He said quietly, tapping one of his claws on the concrete floor. Aniu's ear twitched, but she remained asleep.

"Hey, Aniu!" Storm said again, this time a little louder.

The wolf sat up almost instantaneously, her yellow eyes locking onto him, unsure of who he was.

"Storm?" she questioned.

"Yes, that's me. I'm gonna get you outta here."

Storm took a step closer, trying to figure out how to open the cage.

"You have to move those two things," Aniu said, pointing with her nose at two latches. Storm used his claws to unlatch and open the cage door, allowing Aniu to crawl out.

"Can you get this off?" Aniu asked, meaning the muzzle. Storm was understandably weary. This would be his first time near her without her being restrained in some way. He trusted her when she was chained up, but…

"I'm not going to attack you, I promise." Aniu said, as if reading the grey husky's thoughts.

Storm stared at her for a moment, deciding whether or not she was telling the truth. After a long while he seemed to accept what she'd said, and nodded.

"Okay."

Storm took the leather collar of the device in his teeth, and attempted to pull it off.

"Hey, I'm gonna have to-"

"I don't care!" Aniu exclaimed, "Just get this thing off of me!"

Storm tugged once again, this time with all of his strength. The collar broke with a loud 'snap!' and went clattering to the ground as Storm released it.

"Ah, thanks. You don't know how good it feels to have that off."

"I bet I do."

Aniu just rolled her eyes. "How'd you even manage to find me? I thought you were… I thought they had killed you." Aniu finished hesitantly.

"Ya aren't gettin' rid of me that easily!" Storm teased. His eyes met Aniu's, and so the husky and the wolf stood, each entranced by the other, their noses inches apart. Aniu inched her muzzle forward, and Storm copied her until…

"Let's get out of here." The husky said abruptly, turning away and ending that short moment.

Aniu chided herself for staring and acting like that, what a fool she'd just made of herself! Storm was thinking similar thoughts, but both of them were caught by surprise when the door to the little room was flung open.

A large dog stood in the door. Storm's eyes narrowed as he leapt for the dog's throat. Storm plowed him over and smacked his head into the concrete floor, dazing the husky dog.

"I would kill you," Storm growled, "but if I did that I'd be just as bad as you." Storm settled for kicking him and knocking him unconscious. Aniu then dragged him into the cage and locked him up.

"We'll see how he likes that." She laughed.

"Ha-ha, yeah."

Storm took one step outside the room, where seven more dogs stood waiting. Aniu stepped to his side, but Storm pushed her back.

"No. They're mine."

In that moment Aniu saw a new Storm, one who wanted revenge and blood for the murder of his friends. It frightened her a little bit, but she knew the significance of these types of battles, and the meaning that it held for the grey husky beside her. So Aniu sat back, promising herself she'd only help if her friend really needed it.

Six of the huskies moved in a semi-circle, blocking both Storm and Aniu into the room. The seventh, presumably the leader was a silver furred dog, who sat behind the line, his eyes glittering with amusement. He wanted to see them suffer, and it only infuriated Storm more.

Storm became his name, moving like lightning and landing so many blows, while managing to stay untouched himself. A black paw managed to get in his face, so Storm took it in his jaws, crushing it easily in his adrenaline powered rage. He then jerked said limb, pulling its owner in front of him and blocking several more blows that had been directed at him. Storm let the husky drop, clawing another's eye and kicking him too, putting two out.

The fight had brought Storm out into the corridor, and the four remaining huskies regrouped in front of the silver one, each of them a lot more weary now, all having at least one claw or bite mark on them. The silver husky pushed through them.

"Stay out of this." He said in a commanding voice, the others obeyed immediately, scurrying off to probably get help, Storm thought.

The silver husky glared at Storm.

"Let's see what you've got."

He leapt at Storm, who copied the move he'd seen Aniu use and swept the dogs paws out from under him the dog who Storm had dubbed, 'Silver', landing on his side. Silver then kicked Storm in the nose, but he felt nothing at the moment.

Silver rolled away and was on his paws again, this time he would take a more cautious approach. Aniu watched anxiously from the doorway, wanting to hurry up and get out of the building. She hated to do it, but she waited until Silver's back was to her, and she leapt up with a snarl and knocked the dog down easily. Storm repeated his kick and he was unconscious as well.

"I'm sorry Storm," Aniu said quickly, seeing the glare she'd gotten, "but we need to get out of here. They're bringing help."

Storm glared defiantly for a few seconds, but he let the fire in his body die. He knew Aniu was right. As much as he wanted to fight all of them, he wouldn't stand a chance, especially if they brought humans, and especially if the humans had guns. He looked down at the three injured dogs around him, thinking that was quite enough for now.

The one who had the broken leg was staring at them, his eyes glazed over from being in so much pain. Even though it probably wasn't right, Aniu put him unconscious as well so he couldn't tell anyone where they were going.

Storm and Aniu hurriedly left the building through the front entrance, hurrying around to the back and climbing to the roof. Both only barely got up before the shouts of humans could be heard in the building below, sounding very angry.

Storm heard one man say, "The wolf is gone!" followed by a multitude of curse words, and he just had to laugh at that.

Aniu looked at him questioningly, but instead of asking him what he found so humorous, she settled for inquiring their next move.

"What do we do now?"

"Once we get out of town, we can either go back to my masters old place, or you can just leave now. It's your choice."

"I'll decide once we get to the house."

Storm nodded, and set off on the roof path he'd discovered earlier, but being sure to avoid detection. Below Aniu was being searched for, and Storm was sure he was wanted too for causing so much trouble. But night had overtaken quickly, so the people had to cut their search short until morning. Storm and Aniu were easily able to sneak out of the town, and back to Jarrod's house.

Aniu looked at it for a few moments. "I'll stay here for the night."

"You're sure?"

"I'm sure."

Storm stood for a moment, deciding what to do.

"Well, I'm gonna go get something to eat. You can join me if you want to, but it's that dry food again."

"I really don't care what it is. I'm hungry."

Aniu had hardly been fed enough the past few days, and was more than happy to eat even some of the dry stuff. Tomorrow though, she'd go hunting.

After a few minutes of eating their fill, both went back to hide inside Jarrod's house. Storm figured that since his master was gone, he might as well get comfortable. He went into Jarrod's small bedroom, and jumped up onto the soft and cozy material.

Aniu, unsure of what to do, followed him into the room.

"You can sleep anywhere you want," Storm informed her.

"Up there…?" She asked, almost immediately regretting it.

"If you want."

Aniu jumped up beside her friend, and settled herself into the comfortable material.

"Oh, this is definitely a lot better than lying on that hard floor."

"I'll bet so."

Storm made sure to move over a bit, so he wasn't too close to Aniu. She sensed this though, as she was good at doing.

"Look… I can leave."  
>"No, you're fine, honestly!"<p>

Aniu looked skeptical, but said nothing more, settling her head down onto her paws.  
>Storm was secretly enjoying the closeness of them, although his rational mind wouldn't allow him to admit that. He knew that he liked the white wolf. Who couldn't be completely enraptured by everything about her?<p>

'_Come on, stop that Storm!' _one part of his mind argued.

'_Why?' _the other shot back.

'_Because this is a wolf… and not only that, you've only known her for what, a week?'_

'_So? What's wrong with a wolf? It's not like you're going spend your life with her, she's leaving tomorrow!'_

'_Good, the sooner the better.'_

Storm blinked a couple of times, clearing his frazzled mind. Aniu next to him was thinking similarly.

She knew her attraction to the husky dog was wrong, but she didn't know many wolves even who would've broken into a human building to save her. Although she knew he had wanted revenge, and that was part of the reason he had returned, Aniu could tell that she was the more important of the two. That meant something to her, even if it meant nothing to him. She was also worried about him, or more specifically, what he would do once she was gone.

Aniu suspected that Storm probably still wanted vengeance, and had only cooled off for the moment. She was worried that he would return to town and get himself killed. But she couldn't take him with her… no wolf would accept that, and he would probably end up getting killed anyway, which was stupid, because if they knew the grey husky like she did…

Aniu stopped a moment. How well did she really know Storm? They had spent an entire night talking and laughing with each other, but even then… Aniu glanced over at the sleeping dog beside her. His breathing even, his chest rising and falling rhythmically…

She cleared her thoughts similar to the way her friend had only a few minutes before. Aniu allowed herself to relax, and sleep to overcome her.

…

Storm blinked awake, and finding no sign of his friend, was up in an instant. _She better not have left without saying good bye to me! _Checking the whole building and finding no sign of the white wolf, Storm hurried outside and found his friend sitting and gazing at the red early morning sky.

"There you are, I thought you'd left."

"I wouldn't leave without telling you. I just like watching the sunrise. Red in the morning, we should take warning."

"What?"

"Some old saying, when there's a red sky in the morning that means something bad could happen later."

Storm nodded and turned his gaze upwards. Neither canine spoke for nigh on an hour, both unsure of what to say. They knew what they wanted, but none wanted to say it. Finally the silence was broken though.

"I suppose I should be going." Aniu said, standing up slowly.

"Be careful out there."

"I will, and Storm, what're you going to do?"

"About what?"

"Last night… I know, you are still angry. I hope you don't do anything stupid, not out of anger, it won't bring them back, and will only ruin you."

"I know that, but what else have I got? At least you've got a family waiting for you, I have nothing."

Aniu took a breath to say something, but it never came out. She had wanted to say, 'You have me, and ask if he wanted to go with her, but quickly realized the problem with said question, and kept that to herself, instead opting for a much more casual reply.

"Well, just be safe. And, thank you… for saving me. I'll never forget that, and I'll make sure that my pack knows of you."

"Nah don't worry about that… I'd have done it for anyone."

Aniu nodded, "I guess this is good bye then. I hope I see you again one day."

"Good bye and good luck."

Aniu said nothing more, turning away and starting off on her journey home.

..

Took me a while, but finally done with this. I think it was pretty good, for me anyway. What do y'all think?

-ANonymouS


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Aniu took no more than four steps before she turned around and looked back at Storm.

"Um, I just realized… I don't know the way."

Storm just stared at the white wolf incredulously.

"You don't know the way?"  
>"No… I was unconscious most of the way here, how would I know the way?"<p>

"You just go that way." Storm said, pointing with one paw towards the direction Aniu was supposed to go in.

"Yeah _real _specific there," Aniu laughed, "but seriously, I don't know the way back. Think maybe you could… lead me?"

Aniu wanted this, for him to go with her. It was partially because she didn't want him to do anything stupid, but more so because of her other feelings. She did like the grey husky, and she told herself that that was the only reason. She didn't want him to get hurt.

Storm shrugged. "What else have I got to do?" Inside he was actually excited. Although he wouldn't show it, Storm did very much want to stay with his wolf friend, and would be more than happy to help her. He was a bit nervous though. A dog and a wolf could spell trouble, and from either species. Their most prominent worry was from the wolves at the moment. Dog and wolf pairs were so hated… and Storm would hate to have his friend killed for simply travelling with him.

"It could be dangerous though… if any other wolves see us together, they might get the wrong idea and…"  
>"I know." Aniu responded, "We should try to stay away from them. I'm sure that I can convince my pack that you were just helping me, and at the very least they'll let you go free."<p>

"I hope so, I don't wanna die yet."

Storm led Aniu back out, following the trail that he and his team ran, and that he had just followed back. He knew it by heart, and it pained him to think of his friends… killed like that. When he got Aniu where she needed to be, he decided then and there to return and finish what he'd started last night. Even if it meant his dying too.

"You're thinking of them, aren't you?" Aniu asked, gazing at Storm as she walked.

"Yes… I can't stop. Every time I think I've forgotten, something happens and I remember."

"It'll take time, maybe a lot of it. But don't let hate for their killers overwhelm you. It's okay to be angry, but seeking vengeance will only hurt you, Storm, and I don't want anything to happen to you. You're too good of a dog to do that."

Both went on, not saying anything else after that. It was about an hour before Storm felt the same feeling he'd had the night that his team had been killed. He felt that overwhelming sense of dread, it felt like they were being hunted. Aniu noticed his uneasiness and stopped.

"You feel it too?"

Storm nodded, and both scanned the area, each covering one-hundred eighty degrees. They watched and listened. There were no sounds, the forest was absolutely silent.

"Let's get out of here." Aniu said. Storm turned to reply to her, and that was what saved his life. The shot went right between his ears.

"Go, run!"

Storm and Aniu took off running through the forest as fast as they possibly could. Behind them, the yelps of several dogs and the shouts of at least three men echoed after them. The tree's became scarcer as the two climbed higher, finally reaching a plateau, where the snow thinned out as well, making running a lot easier.

Aniu, who was in front of Storm, stopped abruptly causing the grey husky to stop as well, and while trying to avoid her almost went over the cliff.

"Whoa." Storm's voice echoed down into the gorge. About twenty feet below a river rushed through, crashing against the walls with such force it could be heard from their position. The other side was too far to jump to, they were trapped.

Both turned around and saw the first of the dogs. Both recognized the silver dog, who they had fought last night, and who was likely here to extract his revenge. Behind him were more dogs, some of which were also from the previously mentioned fight. Behind that were the humans, all three of whom had their weapons ready.

Aniu turned and looked into her friend's eyes, and both knew the unspoken message that passed between them. They were going to jump. Storm and Aniu took one last look at their hunters, before leaping into the abyss.

The mountain water was cold, soaking through Storm's grey fur in a matter of a few seconds. It took his breath away for a moment, and he struggled just to keep his head above the roaring water. It soaked his ears, which felt less than pleasant, but that was the least of his worries. He couldn't find Aniu. Suddenly a rock appeared out of nowhere, and the current forced Storm to crash right into it. He pushed off desperately, that having shaken him up even more. Storm was slammed into the walls of the canyon multiple times after that, slowly draining his energy until he simply lost consciousness, the whole world seeming so far away. He thought he heard Aniu call somewhere, but the sound was lost, as the dark tunnel overcame him and put him into a deep void, somewhere you usually didn't return from.

…

The river eventually calmed and flowed out of the gorge, allowing Aniu to pull her almost froze, battered, and drained self out of the water, crawling up onto land and falling in a mess of soaking white fur.

"Storm, are you alright?" She managed to say. When she got no response however, Aniu got back on her paws, scanning the river for any sign of her friend. She saw a flash of grey, but it disappeared underneath the water as soon as she saw it.

"Storm!"

Aniu, temporarily reenergized, dove back into the water, desperate to save her friend. She opened her eyes, ignoring the stinging of the cold water and searched for her friend. She saw him floating quietly along, not moving.

Aniu surfaced for a breath, before diving back down to save Storm. She swam underneath him, and swam up, with the husky on her back. Her strength ran out as she dropped him onto the rock that she'd been on earlier, stumbling back a few steps, she regained her breath and checked the husky over.

He wasn't breathing, but just lying there.

"No, don't you die on me!" Aniu pushed down on his chest with all the strength she could managed, and to her relief, Storm coughed up quite a bit of water, and seemed to be alright, albeit still unconscious. Aniu allowed herself to relax, until she heard something coming towards her. She tried to rise, but couldn't.

Three grey wolves stepped out, but Aniu was unable to see anything other than blurry silhouettes, as she finally passed out from exhaustion.

...

I thought about leaving this off with a real 'cliff hanger' (lol at my pathetic attempt of a joke) but this ending is still good. Two hours of study hall tomorrow will give me plenty of time to get a good start on the next part, so expect it tomorrow. Hope ya enjoyed.

-ANonymouS


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Aniu was no longer cold, but was still sore from having been thrown into a multitude of rocks and almost drowning and then having to save her friend. She could sense that she was inside a den, and that someone else was in there with her, but who it was and what they wanted was what burdened her. Aniu decided to get up, rising slowly, she attracted the attention of the black and brown wolf. He watched as she stretched out before speaking.

"You feel alright?" The wolf asked. Aniu could swear she remembered this wolf…

"Uncle Tanner?"

The wolf nodded. Aniu remembered him. Tanner was Makota's brother. He had left when she was a young pup, but Aniu could recall playing with her uncle.

"It's good to see you again!" Aniu exclaimed, nuzzling the wolf gently. He returned the gesture.

"Good to see you too, but my question is why were you… near a dog?"

Aniu didn't meet his gaze. She knew she'd have had to explain her travelling with Storm eventually, but hadn't really thought about what she'd say. So she told the truth. Aniu explained what had happened to her over the past few weeks, from being captured to meeting Storm, said husky saving her from the men who made her fight, her not knowing where to go, and finally their being hunted which had resulted in them jumping in the river.

"So that's how we got here. Tell me, where is Storm now?"

"He's okay, he's being kept in another cave. We don't know him like you do, and therefore can't trust him."

Aniu nodded, understanding, "Can I see him though?"

"Sure."

Tanner led his niece out of the den she was in. The camp for the wolf pack was a nice place, surrounded by huge boulders and riddled with caves to hide in. The only way to get out of the camp was a single tunnel on the south side. The boulders were much too steep to try and climb.

Several wolves went about their business, stepping out of the way when Aniu and her uncle passed them by, so Aniu assumed that Tanner held a position of importance.

"I'm sure you know Aniu, that wolves and dogs should not get attached, and the consequences they suffer if they do." Tanner said in an even tone.

"I know that, but I don't understand it. I don't see why such relationships are looked down upon. The one thing I've learned from Storm is that not all huskies are evil and mean like the stories say they are. And I want to show him that not all wolves are evil like dogs think. You see, each is told horrible stories about the other, so when a dog and a wolf meet they fight, thinking that the other is a horrible bloodthirsty creature."

"I know, Aniu. I thought the same way once, until I saw the carnage their humans wreaked on a wolf pack. They came here first. We've done nothing to them, they hunt us and kill us for our fur, when we do nothing!" Tanner spoke with such emotion that Aniu was a bit taken aback, but she held firm.

"We'll never change that if we continue to shun those that try to know the other! We need to talk, to find out the truth, it'll benefit both of our species."

"Well that dog can stay here for tonight, tomorrow you're to tell him to go back to his home. I'll escort you the rest of the way back to your pack."

"You don't have to do that, I'm sure you're pack needs you here-"

"Aniu. Don't argue with me."

The white wolf stopped and stared down her elder. Tanner stared back for a full minute, relenting only to point at a cave entrance guarded by two wolves.

"Your friend is in there."

Aniu stalked past the two guards and saw Storm sitting, doing nothing but staring at the wall. He looked up when she entered.

"Oh, you're okay." Storm said, keeping his voice low," They wouldn't tell me anything about anything. What's going on?"

"They don't trust you." Aniu replied just as softly," They're weary of all dogs. And my uncle says that he'll take me the rest of the way home, so you can go back tomorrow."

"Oh." Storm murmured, trying to keep the disappointment out of his voice. He didn't really succeed.

Aniu was disappointed as well, she didn't want to say goodbye to her husky friend yet. She had brought him on this trip partially because she needed the help getting home. She knew she could get home alone, but the larger reason was because she wanted to protect Storm from himself. She knew he still had anger in him, and she didn't want him to get hurt doing something rash. So she had hoped that bringing him on this journey would be long enough that he would maybe not want vengeance or maybe have found something else to do when the time to say goodbye came.

But if Aniu was really honest with herself, she never wanted to say goodbye to Storm. And if she was really truly honest with herself, the white wolf knew that she _liked _the husky. '_Just as a friend!' _Her mind would tell her, but deep down she knew it was more than that. Aniu knew she had an attraction to Storm, and now she would be forced to separate from him. _'Oh well,' _she thought, Storm probably didn't care for her in the same way anyhow.

But he did. Now Storm had never been one to know too much about liking or loving anyone, and he had never had any sort of crush before, but he often found it funny how blind two beings were when it was so obvious that they cared for one another. Unbeknownst to him, he and Aniu were both victims of such a thing, neither sure of the others feelings.

What he did know, was that unless he said something or something else happened that caused he and Aniu to have to stay together, they would most likely be separating in the morning, as the husky was so unsure of himself that he knew his chances of actually talking to Aniu were negligible at best.

"You're going to have to stay in here for the night; they'll allow you to leave in the morning."

"That's fine with me."

Aniu glanced down at her paws. "I'll be seeing ya then."

"Night."

Aniu turned and approached her uncle, who waited outside of the den.

"I assume you'll show me where I stay for tonight?"

Tanner nodded, and led her back towards the same den she had woken up in.

"You can stay here, this den is unused, so you'll have all the privacy you want."

"Thank you."

"It's nothing, oh and Aniu? There actually is a problem…"

Watching Aniu and Storm interacting had gotten him thinking. He knew Aniu was correct, if no one ever attempted to know the other, both dogs and wolves would be filled with resentment towards the other. And who better to let talk than the two in front of him? Tanner could see an obvious attraction, although he wasn't one hundred percent sure, he definitely saw some… Tanner's mind searched for the correct word… potential? In the two of them. So he decided to let them stay together. Maybe something would be changed and they could actually succeed in working something out that would eventually benefit both parties.

"What problem?" Aniu asked, waiting for detail.

"About my taking you home. You see, it crossed my mind that those hunters out there, the ones that chased you, might cause trouble for my pack. We've already had to deal with similar situations a couple of times last year, and I would just feel better if… I could stay with my pack. So if you've got no objection to continuing your journey with Storm, I'll allow you two to walk free tomorrow."

Aniu was grateful for this, but she could see right through her uncle's story.

"You don't have to make that up… I'm glad you saw my point. I just wish that others thought as you do too." The white wolf had seen the looks of hate on many of the wolves' faces, they all at very least disliked Storm, and it wouldn't be surprising if some sort of uproar was started when they learned that Aniu was to continue travelling with the dog.

"I wish so too, but that's why I'm letting you continue with him. Maybe you can change the way we think. It'll be difficult, if not nigh on impossible, but if anyone can do it, you two can."

"Thanks, we'll try our best."

"I'm going for an early morning hunt tomorrow, so if I don't see you when you leave, I wish you best of luck in your travels, and send your father my regards."

"I will. Goodbye uncle, and good luck to you and your pack as well."

The two wolves nuzzled each other quickly before turning their separate ways.

..

The last half of this, with the whole mutual feeling thing took me quite a while to make. I'm happy with the result of it though, I think I'm exceptional with character thoughts and feelings, but never written this type of story before. So do y'all think I did okay, and if not, where could I improve?

Thanks,

ANonymouS


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Aniu and Storm did leave early the next morning, partly because they wanted to avoid any trouble, but also because neither could sleep any longer. There was very little talking between them, both deep in their own minds. They were still being careful though; the hunters were still out there. As the two went along, another problem slowly made its way into Storm's mind.

There was no food, at least not the kind he was used to, and he was getting hungry. Of course, he was hesitant to voice that to his friend, as he recalled what she'd said to him before, when he'd found it amusing when Aniu had to eat his type of food. 'I swear, if I ever get the chance, I'll get you back somehow,' she had said.

Storm was more than a little worried about what that could mean for him, but if Aniu didn't say something concerning the subject soon, he'd have to take a chance. Unfortunately for Storm, his friend always seemed to be able to tell what he was thinking (unless of course he was thinking about her, in which case she was completely clueless, go figure, Storm thought) and a wry grin crossed her features.

Aniu stopped in front of a huge pine tree.

"Sit." She said, and waited for Storm to obey. He did.

"Stay there and wait for me."

"Wh-"

"No questions just wait." Aniu interrupted, the smirk on her face and the tone of her voice doing nothing but assure Storm that he would no doubt soon be doing something that Aniu found amusing.

Said wolf stalked off into the forest, leaving Storm alone beside the tree. It was then he noticed how quiet the whole area was. It wasn't an eerie quiet though, but more of a peaceful quiet. Now that he was out of his reverie, Storm also took note of how beautiful the landscape was. Even though he'd ran through here many times, he'd never had the time to stop and look, as he'd been doing exactly that, running through it.

Now that he had time though… it was simply amazing. The shining sun reflected off of the fresh, mostly unbroken snow, an occasional gust of wind rattling the pine trees in a way that added even more of a serene feel to the whole place.

Aniu was gone for what seemed like five minutes, but was actually over an hour. She returned with a two small creatures in her jaws, both white furred, and Storm recognized them to be arctic hares. Aniu placed one at his paws, set hers down, and looked at him expectantly.

"Eat." She said in the same smug tone as before. Storm gazed at the creature before him, unsure of what to do. He'd never had anything like this before.

"I eat it… with the fur?" He asked, the confusion evident in both his words and eyes.

Aniu said nothing, just sitting and trying not to laugh at him.

Storm grumbled something under his breath, and bent down to try to eat the creature. He only got a mouth full of fur, and tried to spit it out, glaring at Aniu which simply caused her to laugh harder.

"I suppose it is pretty funny." Storm commented, allowing himself to laugh as well.

Aniu finished hers before Storm was even half way done, but he had to admit, aside from the fur, that it tasted very good. And after fresh food, he could see why Aniu dislike the dried up dog food.

"Thanks for that, you'll have to teach me how to hunt. That's a lot better than that old food I usually eat."

"It takes a lot of practice to learn to hunt, and training usually starts as pups, but I suppose I could show you a few things."

As they travelled, Aniu kept to her word and taught Storm a few of the basic things. Stalking was one of them. The key was keeping your steps light and the weight evenly distributed on all four of your paws, while also carefully approaching whatever prey you were trying to catch. A group of at least six wolves was best when going for something large, but one was good enough to catch the small things like the hares or an occasional bird. While Storm didn't catch anything that day, he did remarkably well in learning for his first day.

Before long night was almost upon them, and being in one of the huge valleys between two mountains meant there was a significantly less amount of caves or dens to shelter in for the night. What they did find however was perhaps nicer than a den. Another evergreen tree, huge in every aspect served as a perfect shelter for that night. Once you managed to get inside of the tree, the branches funneled up in such a way that I was almost like a tent. There was no snow inside of said tree, its thick branches sheltering them from that.

The smallness of the whole thing got Storm thinking again, and again Aniu seemed completely oblivious. The air inside the space seemed to heat up super-fast, and Storm suddenly found the need to just get out, to get away from the wolf that had so enraptured his mind. So Storm just pushed out of the tree, getting a few green needles stuck in his fur on the way out. Storm shook them off, and then pushed the snow out of a small patch of ground, clearing it out so he could lie down and do something else he usually didn't have time to do. Storm would watch the stars.

To Aniu, who remained inside, Storm's action had just completely decimated her will. She'd been working up the nerve to say something and he'd walked out. If she hadn't been so blinded by her own conclusions and feelings, she would've known that the husky felt the same way as her, and had only walked out because he thought she didn't feel the same.

Aniu was convinced he'd left because he didn't like the awkwardness of the situation, which was true, but true because of a different reason.

Aniu took a deep breath and held the cold air inside her lungs, allowing her thoughts to clear from her mind, before stepping outside as well. She found Storm a few feet away, lying on his back, staring up at the night sky.

"Amazing isn't it?" Aniu spoke quietly, mostly meaning her thoughts, but voicing it in such a way that Storm thought she meant the sky.

"It is." Storm replied in much the same way, fooling Aniu just as she'd fooled him. "All the different colors… blue, white, red, I never realized there were so many either."

"There's an old tale, that the stars represent those that have passed away." Aniu began, only semiconsciously moving to settle down beside Storm, "They say the souls watch over us… guide us if you will. And whenever one sees a falling star, it means a spirit has returned to this world to finish something that they left behind."

"Wow, really? Do you believe all that?" Storm asked, and moved a little bit closer.

"I grew up believing it, and I still do."

"I think stuff like that is all just made up, something someone came up with to explain something we don't have an explanation to."

"Well what do you think happens when someone dies?"

"I don't know… just like an eternal sleep I guess, which is why you live your life to the fullest now."

Just then, a flash of red lit up the night sky. It was followed by a rainbow of colors which filled the air, dancing all around them.

Storm and Aniu gasped simultaneously.

"The aurora…" Aniu whispered.

"What does that mean?" Storm wondered aloud, gazing up at the veritable light storm going on above and around them.

"It means that…" In that moment, Aniu's amber eyes locked with Storm's deep blue, and both of them _knew. _They knew what the other felt. There was no more need for words, each of them confident in how they felt and what they did. The dog and the wolf finally realized what was important to each of them and would end up, in the whole grand scheme of things, growing stronger because of it.

..

I think y'all know what happened... and I do think I did well on this, despite my very limited knowledge on the whole subject. Now it's gonna be just that much more hard for me to separate these characters when that time comes. Hope ya enjoyed,

ANonymouS


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

The next day posed a serious question that hadn't even been thought of during the last night. That question was what to say to Aniu's pack once they reached it. It would've been a whole for her to explain if the events of last night hadn't taken place, but Aniu wouldn't trade her newfound bond for anything.

Just how far was she willing to go, though? The thought had crossed her mind to not even go back, and run off and make a home somewhere with Storm. That pack was her family though, and it would stay with Aniu too long if she didn't at least tell them she was alive. She could almost see her father, who was probably worried sick about her, and Night… what would she say to him? Storm had said that they could just go back and tell the story like they'd been intending, then wait until the opportune time to speak about the relationship. This was the preferred option.

Either way had a risk of consequences though, and if the wolves decided they wanted to kill Storm, Aniu wasn't sure there was much she'd be able to do to stop them. She knew that her father would never kill her… but killing him would be like killing half of her. That was all part of the risks, and in the past few hours alone she'd asked Storm more than six times if he was willing to take those chances. He'd said yes each time, and that he'd go with her wherever she went. That didn't mean he wasn't afraid though.

Storm was more afraid for Aniu, because despite what she said about how her father would never allow any harm to come to her, Storm knew that one wolf wouldn't be able to hold back a pack if they became angry at Aniu, for… rebelling? Rebelling against the unspoken but omnipresent law that wolves and dogs should never be together. Storm hoped that whatever happened would be directed mostly at him. He had no idea what to expect, as Aniu was the only wolf he really knew.

However small the chance was, it was still possible that maybe the wolves could be persuaded like Aniu's uncle had been. That would be great, and would be one step closer in the ultimate goal of convincing both sides that they didn't _need _to hate the other. It was dangerous, sure, but would be worth it.

Or there was the hiding option. Both had said they'd be more than happy to simply find a home and stay there for a while, make a home, maybe raise a family… they would keep that option in mind, but for now they kept on towards Aniu's former home.

By the end of the day, said wolf was beginning to recognize some of the landscape around her.

"Hey, I recognize that peak, we're almost there. Just on the other side of that mountain. If we make good time tomorrow, we can make it back the day after."

That mountain would pose a challenge, but it was nothing they couldn't handle, at least nothing compared to what was waiting on the other side of it. It was a long climb up, but probably even longer to go around. Storm didn't know, as his team had always gone around it, which was another reason to go up. They couldn't take the risk of meeting a team; it would probably end in one or both of them being shot. Finding a place to stay for the night was relatively easy, and staying inside of it was even easier. The two both curled up, happy and content.

The next morning Storm actually managed to catch a hare, but was quickly disappointed when he found Aniu waiting with two, which she'd caught in half the time. They each ate one and shared the third before continuing on their way.

The day of travel was fun filled, partially to ease their ever growing stress, but mostly to have fun and because it made time pass faster. They played a sort of hide and seek game, each would take turns running ahead to hide, making sure not to stray too far off course. Then the other would try to find the hidden one. Aniu was significantly better than Storm, and it often ended in his giving up. There was one time he thought he had her, only to have Aniu jump down seemingly from thin air and land on his back. It scared him half to death, but was easily laughed off.

The mountain was quickly ascended using that game, and also helped them find probably the most amazing night time resting place in existence. If one climbed a narrow, rocky path up about one hundred feet, they would reach a spot that provided a clear, unobstructed view of the vast tundra that lay beyond the mountain.

"It's so beautiful out there." Aniu said, awed by the sunset.

"Not as beautiful as you." Storm commented, sounding very sincere.

"Stop that!"  
>"Don't be modest, it's true!"<p>

Aniu just shook her head and smiled, cozying herself against Storm for the night. Once again the aurora provided a great show for the two who watched it.

The next half a day was spent with tense, silent travel. This was the day that they'd likely meet Aniu's pack, and tense they should be. T was only noon when they reached he last big rever, the river that served as the border of Aniu's packs territory.

They crossed the river quickly, as the ice was beginning to melt. Spring was almost upon the land, and signs of it were everywhere. Already sprouts of grass were beginning to poke up out of the snow, but that didn't mean winter was over. Storms had happened later in the year than this, and neither would be surprised if another big storm didn't happen before winter officially gave way into spring.

After crossing the river, they split up for a few minutes so each could have a chance to relieve themself. On the way back to Storm though, someone called Aniu's name. She turned to her right, and standing just beyond a good sized grey rock, was a black wolf, who stared at her almost disbelievingly.

"Night!" Aniu exclaimed, rushing up to her pack mate and giving him an affectionate nuzzle.

"It's so good to see you! How's the pack, are they alright?"

"Yes, they're fine, but we've all been worried about you! Where in this world have you been?"

"I'll tell you, but first I want you to meet someone." Aniu tilted her head back and let out a short, sweet howl. Somewhere another replied, and within a minute Storm came bounding through the snow.

"Aniu? What's…" he trailed off as he saw Night, who instinctively stepped forward, bared his teeth and growled.

"A dog." He hissed, "What's this about?"  
>"Night, relax, I know him." Night relaxed his aggressive posture, but remained tense incase this dog tried anything. Storm showed no emotion, moving slowly towards Aniu, who turned away from Night to stand by his side. Her shoulder fur brushed lightly against his, giving him a message that said, 'Do not say anything.' He didn't. The next few moments were critical in gaining Night's trust, and Storm was confident in Aniu's ability to gain said trust.<p>

"Night, this is Storm, Storm, Night."

The two eyed each other suspiciously, reading one another for any sign of aggression or ill will. Both accepted what they saw and Aniu continued.

"I'll say more once we get back to camp, but Storm is my friend. Anyone going after him is going after me too, and will answer to both of us."

Night nodded, accepting this. Aniu was still of a higher rank than him, Night still being a beta wolf.

"But if he makes one wrong move, and I will kill him." Night warned, reminding Storm very much of the time Phoenix had said almost the exact same thing to Aniu.

Storm was led by Night and Aniu back to camp, feeling more like a prisoner than Aniu's mate. Of course no one knew that he was in that position, and it would probably be wise to keep that secret for now.

On the way in, several wolves gave weird stares at Aniu, and even more at Storm. He got a lot of hate filled speech directed towards him, and all the wolves followed obviously expecting an invitation. The wolf camp was pretty nice. It was surrounded by thick bushes and many evergreen trees, which provided comfortable living spaces for anyone who wanted them. The Alphas den was in a huge rock that stood shaped like a large right triangle. It had an opening on one side which said alpha wolf would go inside, and it was a perfect shelter for the wolf. He could also leap up on top of the rock to address the whole pack when he needed.

They stopped in front of this rock, and the wolf on duty beside it conversed quietly with Night for a few seconds, before turning and walking into the rock den. A few seconds after that, he reappeared, followed by a thick, dark brown wolf who had amber eyes similar to that of Aniu's.

"My daughter!" he cried out, his voice full of affection. He put his paws around his daughter's neck, who returned her father's embrace. They spoke quietly in each other's ears, before the big Alpha wolf turned to Storm.

And with any hint of warmth gone from his tone, he asked, "Well, well, what do we have here?"

..

Not too much left to go with this story... it kind of saddens me, but I'm really looking forward to getting on with the series. I've already got a few (I think) great ideas for at least four future stories. Again thanks y'all for readin' and reviewin', hope ya enjoyed.

ANonymouS


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

The alpha wolf's posture had no hostility in it, showing only his experience, but being under that unwavering gaze made it difficult for Storm to keep his voice from faltering.

"My name is Storm, I am here because I helped Aniu return to your pack." He finally said, keeping his own gaze respectfully averted. The wolf then turned to Aniu.

"Is this true?" Makota asked of his daughter.

"It is." Aniu answered firmly. Makota looked back to Storm.

"Look me in the eyes." Storm did so, and after what seemed like an eternity, the wolf gave a small nod.

"I suppose then, we owe you a thank you for returning my daughter." Makota paused for a moment to jump up onto the rock beside him.

"As long as Storm is with us, he shall be treated as such. Anyone who disobeys this will answer to me. Night, you round up some wolves to hunt. We're going to celebrate tonight." After Night and his group of wolves moved off, Makota gestured to Aniu.

"I'd like to see you in my den, bring your friend with you."

Aniu glanced at Storm, her eyes reassuring him and her gentle tone helping even more.

"Just let me do the talking, we'll be okay. I promise." Storm followed the white wolf inside the. It was a bit cramped, but the two still managed to sit down, both facing the elder alpha.

"Now, I want to hear the whole story." Aniu explained from day one, telling her father everything except for what had happened in the past few days, but by the end of the story Aniu had her father liking Storm almost as much as she. He agreed to let the dog stay for a while, relieving both of them of quite a bit of stress. While they would still have to tell him eventually, they were safe for now.

After that, Makota led both of them out to join the hunt. Although Storm didn't ever touch the big caribou they were hunting, he had a key play in driving the animal towards those that did kill it. This gave him even more respect from the wolves, who figured if their alpha and his daughter trusted him, they could too. There were still those that were weary of him, but they didn't say anything.

When Aniu had eaten her share, she let Storm get his. While he was busy though, Night pulled her away from the group, taking her behind some bushes. Aniu knew what was going to happen, and her heart began racing.

"Aniu, I missed you…" Night began, taking a step towards her. She stepped back, surprising the wolf.

"Night, I can't…"

"Why not?" he protested, his eyes so full of emotion. "I love you Aniu…"

"I love you too, but not like that. You're more like a brother to me." She said, trying to get him to leave her alone without having to reveal the secret. But Night knew.

"Oh, I see, you like that… that thing more than your own kind!"

"Yes, I love Storm, more than anything in this world!" the white wolf retorted angrily, temporarily stunning Night. His face contorted in a mixture of anger and sadness, taking another step forward before whipping his head around, seeing Storm coming.

"Alright, so be it." Night said, suddenly sounding calm. He turned and stalked away, shooting Storm a hate filled glare as he did so.

"What's his problem?" Storm asked, coming up to sit beside his mate.

Aniu shook her head, "Before this whole situation started… before I was ever taken, he was supposed to be my mate. He cares about me so much, and I care for him too, but… what I feel for him is more of a sibling love. He didn't know that until now though… and I had to tell him about us… I thought he would take this whole situation a lot better… but I was wrong. I'm worried that he'll tell on us, and something bad will happen to you."

Storm put his paw on Aniu's shoulder. "Don't worry about me, I'll be fine, we'll be fine."

Aniu buried her face in Storm's grey fur. "I love you so much Storm…" she murmured.

"I love you too Aniu, I love you too."

The next few weeks went by relatively quickly, signs of spring becoming even more abundant in the wild land. This didn't stop the tension from growing each day though. Night still hadn't told anyone, but even still hadn't spoken to Aniu. He simply shot them angry glares, avoiding all contact. Other than him, Storm had gained the trust of every wolf in the pack. But if Night said something, both Aniu and Storm were worried that it could so very quickly ruin the relation between Storm and the pack. It looked solid on the outside, but with one small flame, it would fall apart like cobwebs under a torch. The repercussions of their secret was the worst part, and as such Storm and Aniu couldn't spend as much time together as they'd like, and that included not being able to stay in the same den at night.

It was torture for both of them, but necessary for now. They had become stuck in a sort of cycle, each day promising each other that today would be the day they told. That day had quickly become two days, those two days a week, and now three weeks after their arrival. In fact, that very subject was what Aniu went to see Storm about early one morning.

"We need to tell him today, we've been putting it off too long."

"I know," Storm said lowly, even though they were alone in the den, someone outside could easily be listening in, "we've been putting it off far too long. Today we _need _to speak."

"I saw Night yesterday… I think he's getting worse Storm. Please be careful, I don't think he'll try to hurt you, but if he does…"

"Don't worry about me, it's you who should be concerned, are you feeling alright?"

For the past few days Aniu had been feeling slightly nauseous during certain times of the day, especially during the mornings. It was occasionally accompanied by pains in her abdomen. If she hadn't been so stressed over the whole situation, Aniu would've probably realized what was going on, but it would completely evade her until someone told her.

"Yes, I'm fine right now, but…" she trailed off as another wave hit her. Storm quickly helped her to lie down.

"You sure you're fine? I really think you should talk to Tala…"

Tala was the healer for the wolf pack. A shy and reserved wolf, but none the less very skilled at using the limited number of resources provided to her to help treat a wolf when it got injured.

"I'm not hurt though!" Aniu protested. That was another thing lately, sudden mood swings.

"I _know _that, but it would just make me feel better if you spoke with her, okay?"

The wolf was going to protest again, but relented, realizing that Storm would probably drag her there if he had to.

"Alright fine, I'll go."

"Thank you, I'll wait here for you."

Aniu flicked an ear to show that she'd heard, before stalking across the camp to Tala's den. Night was in front of it, and as soon as he saw her coming, he got up and moved away, thinking that she was going to try speaking with him. She didn't though, and instead entered the den. It was pretty large for just one wolf, but needed to be if Tala had any patients.

Aniu found the elder wolf with her back to the entrance, organizing some of her supplies. Tala turned around upon hearing Aniu enter.

"Something I can do for you?" she asked kindly.

"I don't know… Storm made me come in here. I've been feeling sick the past few days, but it usually goes away by noon. I tried to tell Storm I'm fine, but he wouldn't listen…"

"That dog cares a lot about you." Tala said, causing Aniu to freeze up. "I know Aniu; your secret is safe with me."

The white wolf nodded slowly, not entirely trusting Tala.

"Now, what kind of symptoms are you having?" Tala had a feeling she knew what it was, but she needed to make sure.

"Well, when I've woken up the past few days, I felt nauseated. It comes and goes and like I said is usually completely gone by noon. I also occasionally feel a pain in my abdomen, and that I get any time. It doesn't happen much though."

Tala nodded, a small smile forming across her features.

"Lie on your side for me, will you please?"

Aniu lowered herself down, and allowed Tala to place a paw and feel around on her belly. Once the healers paw touched a certain spot, her smile grew even more and she took her paw off.

"Is everything alright with me?" Aniu asked.

"Oh yes, you're fine. But, dear me Aniu, you're going to have pups!"

..

Quite rushed I think in skipping three weeks, but still, wanted to get to the next good part. Probably no more than five to go, and being I've got a four day weekend now... Well off to start the next chapter. Hope y'all enjoyed

ANonymouS


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

If Aniu's jaw could have dropped all the way to the ground it probably would have. As it were though, she stood wide eyed, staring at the wolf before her.

"Are you… are you sure?"

"I'm very sure Aniu. These are going to be the first new pups in two years, I'm happy for you!"

"But, how will I tell Storm? How will I tell my father, how will we tell everyone?"

"Relax, Aniu. Start small. Go tell your mate first, I'm sure he'll be thrilled to hear the news. Tell your father next, and if he accepts that you two are mates than I'm sure he'll find a way to tell the pack."

"The keyword there being _if. _What _if _he decides not to accept it? I don't know what I'd do then…"

"There's only one way to find out. Do you want me to go with you?"

Aniu thought for a moment, "I'll do this on my own."

With that, she turned and went away, a look of determination hardening on her face. Aniu took a moment to compose herself outside of the den Storm was in. After a minutes pause, she entered the den, trying to look as joyful as possible. _This _was something they deserved to be happy about, but when their well-being, and now the safety of the pups were uncertain, it was difficult to be joyed.

"Is everything alright?"

"It's more than alright… Storm," Aniu took a breath, reading herself for what she had to say next, "we're going to have pups."

The husky stared at her until what she'd said dawned on him.

"Pups! We're gonna be parents!" He cried out, leaping into the air like a pup himself.

"Keep it down!" Aniu said, "We've still got to find a way to tell everyone."

"Well _that's _a mood killer." Storm muttered, rubbing his head where he'd hit it on the roof of the den.

"I know. We've got to consider their safety too, and I don't even know what to do!"

There were two choices. They could either leave and take a chance on their own, or stay and take a chance with the pack. Both ways had their advantages and disadvantages. What the two had to do now was decide which option was better for themselves and their future family.

"I honestly think we should stay here… I don't think I'd be able to take care of you on my own, once that time came. I'm not that great of a hunter, and I'd hate to see them starve because of me. I think we should take our chances here, and if that doesn't work out then we'll go find our own home."

"Alright… let's go tell him."

Storm and Aniu stood side by side to go find Makota, the wolf who would probably decide not only their fates, but the fate of the pups as well.

…

They ended up having to wait an hour before being able to speak to the wolf, as he'd been out of camp doing something or other. As soon as he returned though, he was promptly ushered off to his den by a very anxious daughter and a nervous looking dog.

"What's up?"

Aniu kept her gaze focused on the ground.

"I… we're going to have pups."

Makota frowned, "You and him?"

"Yes."

Silence reigned supreme as the alpha wolf took the information in.

"I've seen the way you two look at each other, I suspected there was something between you, but I didn't think it'd gone this far. And I'm sure that your relationship is the reason Night is and has been so… upset."

"That is the reason… I didn't think he would be so upset, but I was wrong."

Makota took a breath. "This is a great moment, my daughter; yours are the first pups since your birth. This is also a happy moment for you two. Go off together, and enjoy it. First though, I want to talk to Storm, alone."

Aniu nodded and left, giving Storm a reassuring glance as she left. Makota stayed silent for a moment, contemplating how to say what he needed.

"As little as a month ago, Storm, the thought of my daughter even being near a dog, let alone having pups with one would've completely and utterly repulsed and disgraced me. But, my daughter sees something in you and I see it too. You've surprised me, Storm. More than that, and I am proud to have you as part of my family and my pack. Now go be with my daughter. Keep her safe and keep her happy."

Storm's eyes widened as he received that, as it went completely beyond what he'd been expecting to hear. An enraged growl sounded from behind him, causing Storm to whirl around. His eyes fell upon an enraged Night, who stood growling and bristling in the doorway.

Before he even had a chance to react, the black wolf leapt at Storm, shoving him out of the way and hitting his head against the rock wall of the den. Suddenly there was four of everything as Storm fell to the ground.

"Night, what's-"

Night struck diagonally downward, swiping his claws across Makota's face, blinding the wolf of his left side. The black wolf kicked Makota's legs out from under him, and prepared to take the life of the alpha wolf. Storm, who saw nothing but a blur of black fur in front of him, opened his jaws and somehow managed to sink them into Night's back leg. He twisted and jerked, trying to do as much damage as possible. Night just tore his limb free, whirling around with yet another strike.

Storm put a paw up to parry that blow, and responded with one of his own. Night stumbled back a few paces with a bleeding cut above his right eye. He was ready to launch himself at Storm again, but by that time the camp had heard the fight, and many wolves came running. Night knew his time was limited.

"I'll kill you someday, dog." With that, Night took off, and only ten seconds later help arrived, in the form of Tala, Aniu, and several other wolves.

Makota got back up, unharmed except for the gashes on his face. He looked at Storm with a new appreciation. The dog had probably just saved his life.

"What was that all about?" Tala asked, confusion in her voice.

"Night, tried to kill me. If it hadn't been for Storm here, he probably would have succeeded too. Get a party out there after him, I want him hunted down and destroyed."

Several wolves gave Storm awed looks, as if they were looking upon a god. Storms deed did an enormous favor in the acceptance of him and Aniu being mates, and more than once he received compliments from the wolves, most of whom were excited that the pack would soon be having new pups to look after.

After a few more weeks, Aniu was moved into Tala's den, her pups due any day. There came one late night when Tala had to shoo Storm out and away from Aniu, so that the two females could have their privacy.

Both Storm and Makota waited outside the den, the former pacing the camp restlessly, stopping to listen every few seconds, before continuing his route. It was like he expected to be attacked any moment. It amused Makota some, as he remembered the stress and worry he'd had when he was a soon to be father. He knew that Storm would be an amazing dad to his pup or pups, and it only served to make the elder wolf happier. His daughter had definitely chosen wisely.

After what seemed like an eternity, Tala allowed the anxious husky to reenter the den. She made him promise to keep quiet though, which he did. Storm entered the den cautiously, not really knowing what to expect. Tala and Makota spoke quietly outside, not wanting to interrupt the two.

Storm saw Aniu curled up comfortably in a nest made of pine needles. There were two little grey pups cozied up against her stomach, both male. One had a darker coat than the other, but both had their dads grey fur. Aniu raised her head off her paws tiredly, her clouded yellow eyes focusing on Storm.

"Come meet your sons." She spoke warmly, the sound of a proud mother.

Storm crawled over to lie down beside the two little pups and Aniu. He had known that pups were small, but these were barely bigger than his paw!

"What do you think?" Aniu asked, a primal instinct in her needing to have the father's approval. Storm didn't know what to think. He was so overcome with love for the two pups and his mate he couldn't speak.

"They… amazing…" He managed to choke out, and Aniu smiled.

"We're amazing. Oh, would you look at that?" She said in wonder, as the darker grey pup crawled, trying desperately to reach its father, who was amazed that it even tried, being it couldn't see. Storm put his nose down, and the pup touched noses with its dad.

"You better stay with your mother, little one." Storm spoke softly, ever so slightly nuzzling the pup back toward Aniu. It looked like it wanted to try to go back for Storm, but ended up returning to cuddle beside its brother.

"What should we name them?" Aniu wondered. Neither of them had been able to think of any names. They'd hoped that seeing the pups would make it easier, but it didn't.

"Balto." Aniu said aloud. The lighter grey pup rose his head at that, and was rewarded the name. That was one down, but the dark grey one still needed a name.

Aniu glanced at Storm curiously. "You have any ideas?"

"None." Storm answered.

"How about… Indy?"

Storm's jaw dropped at the name of his old friend, the dog who had made him everything he was today.

"That's perfect."

"Good, because I'm tired."

Aniu gave Storm a quick lick on the cheek before settling down, falling asleep in less than a minute. Storm just sat for a while, gazing at his family, the love that he felt filling him up inside was absolutely amazing. He curled himself up next to his family, and made himself a promise right then and there. Nothing would ever happen to them, not if he could help it.

...

Well, I'm very proud of this chapter, I think it was absolutely amazing to write, and I hope it was such to read. What I said last time was off by about three, as I think the next chapter may very well be the last of this story. I'm not lookin' forward to writing the next chapter... I'll leave it at this for now.

Peace be with y'all-

ANonymouS


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Storm and Aniu were given their own den after a week, much to their pleasure. After two weeks, they found out that Indy had Storm's blue eyes, making him an exact replica of his father. Balto also had the grey fur, but he also had the more wolf like traits, including slightly larger paws and Aniu's yellow eyes. It was quickly learned that Indy would cause the most trouble. After only two and a half weeks he was already trying to crawl towards the den exit. He wanted to get out, and to see the world. He was also a very sociable young pup, and liked when visitors came into the den to see him. Balto was curious as well, but was a lot less sociable, and would usually hide behind one of his two parents when someone he didn't know came into their den.

Aniu spent most of her time inside taking care of the pups. She loved them very much, but was stressed out in trying to keep them in line. So it was quite a relief when Storm offered to watch them while she went out for some alone time. Storm almost immediately regretted it, as he became the source of amusement, as Balto somehow found it funny when he bit his dad's ear. Storm was grateful that they hadn't fully teethed yet, but after only an hour he was worn out from playing with them. He didn't know how Aniu managed to make it through a whole day.

No sooner did he think that than Aniu stuck her head in the den.

"Storm?"

The husky sat up, a pup hanging from each ear.

"Yes?"

"We need to see you. Balto, Indy, let go of your father's ears!"

The two dropped down and let Storm get up. Another wolf came in to take Storms place, and it was obvious that he wasn't looking forward to it.

"Now you two stay right here and be good, we'll be right back."

Aniu led Storm outside the den, "You're too easy on them." She said once they were away from the den.

"Aw, they're just pups; we should let them play while they have the time."

"They need to learn _manners; _we can't have them using their visitors for chew toys!"

As if on cue, a loud yelp sounded from the den, and despite what she'd just said, Aniu couldn't resist a small laugh.

"So, what did you need me for?"

"Oh, yes. It's not good. Someone's been killed, it's fresh, and… and it has the scent of dog around it. I think I recognize the scent, but I'm not sure. We want to see if you can recognize the scent."

Aniu led Storm out of the camp and a little ways out into the forest, to the place where the wolf had been killed. Makota, Tala, and a few others stood around him. They waited patiently for Storm to scent around, and Aniu was right, it did smell familiar. It wasn't until he saw the silver fur between the wolfs claws though, and caught a hint of the smell of that fur, that he realized what it was.

"They followed us out here?" Storm whispered.

"Who followed you? Is my pack in danger?" Makota growled.

"The hunters... if they found him here, that means they can trace the path back-"

The boom of a gunshot echoed throughout the land, and a whole volley followed it. Everyone took off towards the camp. Upon reaching it, they found several dead wolves, and those that were still alive were fighting a losing battle. They tussled with several dogs, and a few humans stood around watching the fights, only interfering when it looked like one of their dogs was in trouble.

Makota and the others threw themselves into the fray. Storm pushed one dog out of the way, desperate to get to his sons. He saw the two huddled underneath a bush, staring wide eyed at the scene going on before them. Storm hurried over to them, picking up Indy in his jaws. Aniu took Balto before turning and running out of the camp, Storm right behind her. Aniu dropped Balto gently, turning to go back into the fight.

"No!" Storm exclaimed, leaping in front of her.

"I have to help my father! Move!" She cried desperately, trying to get around Storm. She tried to go around, but he caught hold and held firm.

"Aniu, those humans will kill you!"

"I don't care! I have to-" She was interrupted by the second volley of gunfire, the humans finally deciding the fight had gone on long enough.

"NO!"

Aniu's cry caught the attention of several more dogs, which turned to run after them. Aniu realized the danger and scooped up Balto. Storm took Indy and the chase began. They hurried through the forest, hindered by the two pups in their jaws. It was torture for said pups; they were being cut and abused by the brush their parents had to run through.

They seemed to be gaining ground though, when Storm heard a loud 'snap!' He felt a fiery pain shoot up his back leg, and he cried out, Indy tumbling from his grasp. The pup impacted the ground at an awkward angle, and he was most likely dead. Aniu whirled around to check on them, having heard her mates cry. Storm tried to pull his leg free of the trap, but it only caught in deeper. He looked up to Aniu.

"Take Balto, save him." He said peacefully, knowing what would happen to him.

Aniu's eyes were a golden fire, "No, I'm not leaving."

"Damn it go! Save him!"

The sounds of the dogs seemed to surround them, and little Balto huddled underneath his mother. Aniu locked her gaze with Storm, and they both _knew _what would happen. With nothing more than a slight nod, she turned to Indy and nudged him. He didn't respond.

"Aniu! GO!"

She picked up Balto once again, her anger and adrenaline powering her. From the sounds of it, Storm fought furiously until another gunshot rang out, probably taking his life. Aniu ran faster than she ever had before, all of the attention of the hunt directed solely on her.

Aniu finally saw an opening in the forest, and turned towards it. It was a mistake; the huge rock walls surrounded her from three directions. She could hear the sounds of dogs gaining, and knew what she had to do. A small crack in the wall served as a perfect place to hide something, and she shoved Balto into it.

"You stay in here until I come back for you, okay?"

Balto nodded his yellow eyes huge. Aniu felt horrible, as she knew she probably wouldn't ever come back. She then hurried off again, not knowing where she was going, but knowing where she'd end up. Despite this, she managed a small smile. Balto would be safe there.

...

The end. I stayed up all night, writing and rewriting this, as I was unable to sleep at all. Definitely not the best ending, but I like it. Although we can assume, it doesn't say for sure what happened to everyone, which means that I _could_ bring any of these characters back in future stories, as I'd like to do with some of them (laughs evilly) sorry, I couldn't resist. This fic has been a trip for me, as I've never attempted to write one that involves, well, love. I expected once I got there, this would crash and burn. I think I did well though, and I'm glad.

On a second note, I would like to say thanks to all of the reviewers. I'm glad y'all liked this enough to leave a comment, it really does feel good to know that people care about the story. I'm gonna take a short break though, catch up on everything that I want to read, and maybe start a new story. I don't know how long I'll be able to stay away from this category though, so rest assured that you'll very soon be reading about a young Balto as he grows in a world that hates him. But before I do any of that I better go get some rest.

Until next time, may peace be with you all.

(Oh, and one more thing. A disclaimer. I don't own the character of Aniu, but I do own my characters. Storm, both Indys, Makota, Night, Storm's team... so if anyone ever wants to use them, I'd appreciate if you'd ask first. Thanks once again.)

ANonymouS789


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